


Kingdom by the Sea

by deathofsanity



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Coming Out, F/M, Fluff, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Tartarus, they're babies okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 04:23:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19349437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathofsanity/pseuds/deathofsanity
Summary: Nico is having nightmares, Apollo is missing, and Will just can't seem to open up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "Can't we just go and see a nice quiet movie, where boy meets girl, they have problems which aren't too weird, they fall in love and live happily ever after?" Will asked, face pleading.
> 
> Nico rolled his eyes. "Now, why would you want to see a lot of unhealthy stuff like that?"
> 
> Will laughed. "I don't know. Maybe just for once, I'd like to go to a movie where I don't get seasick."
> 
> "All right, all right, I'll make you a deal. Next time we sneak out of camp to go see a movie, I'll take you to one of those happily ever after clambakes. Deal?"
> 
> Will shrugged, trying to hide his excitement. "I guess."
> 
> Nico narrowed his eyes. "Where's the thing playing?"
> 
> "Oh, who knows," Will said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Maybe they don't even make movies like that anymore."
> 
> "Well, sure," Nico said. "And you wanna know why? Because people don't want to be depressed by all that slop."
> 
>  
> 
> *Summary quote from movie "That Darn Cat" (1965)
> 
>  
> 
> Also, let's just pretend that The Blood of Olympus ended like mid-summer, instead of late September. I started writing this without considering the facts and it's too late to fix it now. It still needs to be summer for this thing to make sense. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Just a reminder, Will Solace is 15, and nobody has themselves completely figured out at that age. So when he says that he's gay and comes out as gay, it's because at this point in time, that's where he's at in this understanding of himself.

KINGDOM BY THE SEA

 

_-_ deathofsanity _-_

 

 

 

_Chapter 1_

 

 

It began with those days in the infirmary. Nico di Angelo was good on his agreement and stayed in the infirmary for 3 days. But the second it was over, he was gone.

 

Honestly Will couldn't say that he blamed him.

 

More than the werewolf claw marks that would inevitably scar, more than him being emaciated and dehydrated, more than how he'd nearly melted into darkness at least once during the first night, Nico had nightmares. Like waking up screaming nightmares, not knowing where he was, before finally he could hear whoever was there trying to wake him up. At that point, he'd turn beet red and roll over, ignoring any questions and offers to talk. It happened twice when Will was there, once with Kayla.

 

Kayla was one of the better of his siblings when it came to helping Nico, even though it was more of a clinical sympathy. Of course she cared, but Nico was not the only hero holed up in the infirmary after the war. If he didn't want to talk, there wasn't much she could do.

 

When Will was there, he tried, he really did. And though they would talk and occasionally even banter good-naturedly during the day, on the two occasions where it was Will who had shaken him awake, the son of Hades still clammed up tight.

 

As soon as Nico was released to leave the infirmary, Will obviously stopped being present for the nightmares, but that didn't mean he didn't still notice the signs. Nico always looked tired. Always. And though he tried his best to remain upbeat and he joined in on the camp activities in the first couple of weeks, even getting involved in classes, Will could tell that he very much wasn't okay. Hazel and Reyna, who had been shacking up in Cabin 13, leaving for Camp Jupiter didn't seem to help either

 

"Nico!" Will called out from across the training grounds. The boy in question was reorganizing the sword rack based on (Will assumed) degrees of danger.

 

"Yes?" Nico asked as Will came stomping over, grinning for all he was worth.

 

"How are you feeling?" Will asked him.

 

Nico rolled his eyes with a slight smirk. "Just like the last thirty-five times you asked me, I'm fine, Will."

 

The dark circles under his eyes said different, but Will decided it wasn't worth pointing out.

 

"So what class were you teaching?"

 

"About to teach," he clarified. "Beginning sword fighting."

 

Will raised his eyebrows. "With the little kids?"

 

"Yep. It was my favorite class when I... When I first came to camp."

 

Will remembered. He'd been there. Little Nico with his action figures and loads of enthusiasm. The two of them had giggled together at the back of the class as the teacher got his ass handed to him by Clarisse, the guest sparring partner. When she was done, she'd bowed and fist bumped one of her little sisters who was in the class with them. For the short period of time that Nico was at camp before he left, they'd had a lot of fun together.

 

"What do you want anyway?" Nico asked, though Will could hear no malice in his voice. "Did you deliberately seek me out to bother me about my well-being, or did you just get lucky?"

 

"The first one!" Will answered, giving a cheesy grin.

 

Nico rolled his eyes.

 

Will asked, "Where did you learn to fight, by the way? Your father? I know you didn't learn here."

 

"Ghosts and skeletons."

 

"Um, really?" If anyone else had said that, Will would think they were joking, but this was the Ghost King he was talking about.

 

Nico laughed, eyes crinkling and grin wide. It was amazing. "I know how that sounds. When I was living in the Underworld, my father charged a few ancient teachers in fighting to teach me. Basic swordsmanship, archery, even a little jujitsu."

 

Will raised his eyebrows. "You know jujitsu?"

 

His cheeks dusted slightly pink. "A _little_ bit. I never really took to it."

 

"That's cool," Will said. _And kind of hot_ , he thought to himself. Will blushed pretty hard himself when he realized what had just popped into his head, glancing around to make sure nobody was watching.

 

"Do you, umm... want to stay?" Nico asked uncertainly. "I mean, to help me teach? Unless you have somewhere else-"

 

"I can stay." Will smiled.

 

Nico smiled back.

 

Will had never taught swordplay before (not to say he didn't know how to fight, he just preferred the bow and arrow, and even then, he wasn't great at it) but play sparring with Nico as Nico described some of the beginner moves to the kids was a lot of fun. Even though it usually would up with Will standing frozen in a certain position while Nico slashed at him with a wooden sword. The little kids laughed when Nico disarmed him and knocked him to the ground, but then Nico helped him up and allowed him to defend himself.

 

This turned into a sparring session in which Nico utilized all of the moves he'd just showcased while Will attempted (but mostly failed) to block. When he landed a blow, Nico would soften it at the last second, so the wooden sword only gave him a few minor bruises.

 

Most importantly, the kids had a blast, screaming and oohing and laughing at the right moments. And Will had a great time watching Nico as he became more of his former self, funny and quick to excitement as he had been when Will had first known him. Will found himself laughing along as Nico cracked a joke about two head councilors duking it out for the amusement of children.

 

They then separated the kids into pairs and Nico had them try out moves on each other.

 

At the end of class he took questions, which mostly ranged from 'when can we play with real swords' to 'have you ever killed anything'. After a few extremely watered down versions of some of Nico's monster kills, they escorted the kids to lunch.

 

When they arrived at the pavilion, the kids all dispersed to go sit with their siblings, although a few sat at different tables. Chiron usually didn't insist on the niceties of sitting at your proper table anymore unless it was at dinner.

 

After they got their meals and made their offerings, Will followed Nico to the Zeus table where Jason Grace and Piper McLean were sitting opposite of each other, eating and talking animatedly. Nico sat next to Jason and Will set his tray down next to Piper's.

 

Almost immediately, Nico began practically inhaling his food, much to the shock of Piper and Will. Jason appeared not to notice, though when Will thought about it, Jason and Nico did hang out a lot. Maybe he ate like he was starving all the time?

 

When he finished his plate, he went and got seconds.

 

When he arrived back at the table, Will made the observation, "You know, I bet you're gonna be tall, eating so much. Your body is trying to make up for what it's about to do."

 

Nico responded with cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. "You would know, Sasquatch You shot up a foot in a year." He was grinning when he said it.

 

"It was only ten inches, and I've stopped growing anyway. Haven't gotten any taller in about the same time. You've already gained what? Two inches? I bet you'll be taller than me before too long."

 

"Please," he said with an small grin and went back to his food.

 

Jason started poking at him literally and figuratively about still being short enough to pick on, causing Nico to slap at him and create a general fuss about not touching him when he's eating.

 

"How would you feel if Nico was taller than you?" Piper muttered in Will's direction, drawing Will away from staring at Nico's hands, which were waving wildly as he spoke.

 

Will scrunched up his eyebrows. "What do you mean? Why?"

 

She smirked at him and Will flushed. Something about her smile just told him that she knew what he'd just been doing, and the thought suddenly terrified him. Was he being that obvious?

 

"Don't feel ashamed, Will," she said. "There's nothing wrong with it."

 

Will risked a glance over at Jason and Nico, who were still sniping at each other in earnest and did not seem to be paying them any mind.

 

"I...um," he stammered. Why did this always make him feel so weird? He didn't _want_ to feel weird about liking Nico. Or about liking boys in general. Nico was out to the camp and no one ever looked at him differently. Will just felt so vulnerable, like if he just told everyone, he'd be putting himself out there for all to see. It wasn't a weakness, he knew, but it made him feel weak. It was as if he'd lose that part of himself that he'd been holding onto so dearly and for so long and he would no longer be in control of his own perception of himself.

 

"Hey," Piper whispered, placing a hand on his arm, eyes full of concern. "I'm sorry if I overstepped. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

 

She smiled and he nodded, uncertain if opening his mouth to respond might be a mistake. He glanced at Jason without meaning to, but Piper got the message. "Not even him," she whispered.

 

Gratitude flowed through Will's veins at her words. Though he didn't know Piper as well as some of the other demigods at camp, he trusted her. "Thanks," he replied, and really meant it.

 

"Just... If you ever need to talk, You know where to find me." Her smile was bright.

 

After that they all got into a discussion about the next head councilor meeting, of which they were all a part.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

The next time Will saw Nico, he looked even more exhausted than before. Will was was walking with Kayla toward the lava wall when he spotted him walking, or rather stumbling, out of his cabin and heading toward the pavilion.

 

"I'll, um - I'll meet you there, okay?" He said to his sister.

 

"What? Why?" She questioned, looking around for his distraction.

 

"I have to use the bathroom," he replied, deliberately looking anywhere but at Nico.

 

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but waved him off without comment. He waited until she disappeared from sight before turning around to look again for Nico and take off running in his direction.

 

He skidded to a halt in front of the boy, "Nico! How are you?"

 

Nico nearly tripped in surprise. "Gods, Will," he glowered at him. "Thanks for the heart attack. It's too early for this."

 

"It's two in the afternoon."

 

"I said what I meant."

 

Will grinned and Nico grudgingly smiled back. "Really though, how are you?"

 

"Fine."

 

"Been sleeping well?"

 

The hard won humor faded from Nico's face. He didn't lie, because they both knew the truth. "No, not really. Nightmares, you know."

 

"You, uh, want to talk about it?"

 

"No."

 

"I could try to hel-"

 

"No." There was no hesitation in his answer.

 

Will's mouth twitched downwards, and he wanted to keep trying. Everything in him was screaming at him to help, but what could he do with an unwilling... not patient. Friend. He nodded. "Okay."

 

Nico stopped for a minute, and Will thought he looked almost guilty. "Do you..." He hesitated before continuing. "Do you want to go to the pavilion. You probably already ate, but we could-"

 

"Of course!" Will said, reaching to take Nico's arm before Nico could protest. His arm was warm against Will's own, and after the initial resistance, Nico eventually melted into the contact and they walked toward the pavilion together.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

Will was exhausted. He'd just spent the better part of two days in the infirmary after an outbreak of the chicken pox. The disease itself was easy enough to treat, except that the patient zero was 11 and he was the oldest out of five. Imagine trying to take care of 6 sick little kids at once, three of them your own younger siblings. They cried when he left, they cried when they took their medicine, they downright started sobbing when he told them to go to sleep.

 

Basically, Will was never having kids.

 

He rubbed the back of his neck, and gave Kayla a quick "your turn" before leaving for some much needed rest.

 

But instead of going back to his cabin, he decided that what he really needed was some fresh air. The sunlight probably wouldn't hurt either, though he would never tell Percy Jackson that. No, he was not solar-powered.

 

He found a tree and a little patch of grass near the Demeter cabin that he could stretch out on, ignoring the other campers walking by and going about their days. He was glad that quarantining the kids seemed to be working and nobody else was sick. He'd probably be seeing the pink of the calamine lotion in his dreams at this point.

 

He woke what must have been hours later, as the sun was now high in the sky, to a mostly quiet camp. Everyone was probably at lunch, and the painful growl coming from his stomach told him he probably should be too.

 

However, something, be it fate or chance, told him to glance over toward the Hades cabin. And he was shocked to see a certain prince of darkness shambling his way up the steps and inside, clutching at his head as if it pained him.

 

Immediately, Will was on his feet and running toward the dark structure. He jumped the steps and burst through the door to find Nico curled up on his knees by the bed.

 

Will's heart sped up, knowing without a doubt that something was wrong. He dropped down next to Nico and placed a hand on his arm...

 

...And found himself somewhere unfamiliar.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

Nico, shrouded in a blinding darkness, looked at him in astonishment, all thought of pain gone from his face.

 

"What the Hades are you doing here, Will?" He shouted. "You're not supposed to be here. Not supposed... Supposed to..." He stuttered to a halt and looked around, face going white. "N-no. Not this."

 

Will looked around and his heart dropped into his shoes. "Is this-"

 

They were on a black sand beach, with a dark river flowing beside, bits and pieces of... stuff floating lazily by.

 

"It's-" Will's throat started to close up in terror.

 

"It's not real," Nico assured him, but Will was still panicking. Nico raised his hands for calm, talking to Will like he would to a particularly frightened child. "Hey, listen to me, this isn't real. It's just a..." He struggled for the word. "A flashback. It happens sometimes."

 

"Um, what?!" Will asked, teetering dangerously on the brink of sanity. "What kind of flashback is this. It's so," he kicked the sand, "real."

 

Nico gestured randomly with his hands, but stopped himself, resting one hands on the hit of his Stygian Iron sword, which Will had only just noticed. "It's a very vivid flashback. It happens to people who... Who have a lot of stuff to deal with. It happened to me a lot when I started remembering my life in the 40s, and it happened to Hazel. I don't know why it happens, but it's uncontrollable. I can't escape it and... now neither can you"

 

"So this is your past?" Will stated, still not really believing what was happening, though it was clearly very much real. "This happened to you? Where are you?" He looked around, searching for past-Nico.

 

"I'm here," he said, pointing to himself. "I don't... I don't watch my past happen, I re-live it."

 

"So... what is it? What's happening?"

 

Nico swallowed heavily. "I'm looking for the Doors of Death."

 

"T-Tartarus?" Will was pretty sure he was panicking now.

 

"Not yet," Nico said. "This is Styx. The way to Tartarus is that way." He pointed away from the river.

 

"But - but... I..."

 

"I'm so sorry, Will." Nico's face was hard. "You shouldn't have to see this. No one should."

 

"You did."

 

"I said what I meant."

 

"I..." Will worked to get his shaking voice to cooperate.

 

"Come on."

 

Will followed, looking all around himself. It was so dark. Admittedly, that seemed a rather obvious attribute to the Underworld that shouldn't have disturbed him, but even though he understood that this was just a memory, he couldn't help feeling cut off from the sun somehow. It was just darkness and shadows.

 

Nico led him to a cliff face, which they walked alongside until they reached a cramped tunnel, leading into full black.

 

"This is the way." Nico was pointing down the tunnel.

 

Will began to shake his head, feet backpedaling without his consent, but Nico just sighed. "Look I know it's scary, but the flashback won't end until it's completed. And you hitched a ride, so we both have to go down there."

 

Will focused on Nico. He was beyond not happy, whether it be at Will or just at the situation, but either way, Will couldn't imagine that he was too thrilled at having to re-live this horror himself. And to be forced to show this, his own personal torture, to someone he barely knew... Will felt guilty. He hadn't meant to intrude, and he would never have presumed to make Nico share his nightmares unless he was willing. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair, but he did have a point. Will could sense the truth in the shimmering sand.

 

There was no way to go but forward.

 

They crept into the tunnel, both of them having to duck occasionally in order to avoid getting knocked in the head. It was so oppressively dark that he almost couldn't handle it, and Will made sure to not let Nico get too far ahead, lest he lose him to the darkness. He kept his elbows close and tried not to hyperventilate. It was too much, it was too close.

 

"You all right back there?" Nico asked him.

 

"Fine," Will lied and they continued.

 

Will felt like time meant nothing. He had no clue how long they walked. He also had no idea how Nico had done all of this by himself.

 

If it had been Will, he would have turned back thirty times by now, but, he supposed, Nico was a child of Hades. Surely he was in his element? Will honestly doubted it. How anyone could stand such isolation and dark and cold was beyond him.

 

"We're almost there," Nico said through clenched teeth. That wasn't exactly what Will wanted to hear. He would take claustrophobia any day over the depths of Tartarus.

 

Nico continued talking, but Will got the impression that he was actually talking to himself. "Almost there, it's okay. Just breathe."

 

"Nico?" Will asked softly, reaching for the back of his arm.

 

Nico flinched and spun as quickly as he could in the cramped space. His eyes were wild, but then he blinked and he came back to himself. "Sorry," he muttered. "Sometimes I lose myself in these flashbacks, start feeling like I'm actually experiencing them for the first time."

 

Will was taken aback at the statement. "You're serious? You literally have to re-live this?"

 

"I can stay in my own head if I focus, but it's hard."

 

"How often does this happen?"

 

Nico turned and kept walking. "Almost never. But I've felt it coming on for a while. This is the most recent memory I've ever experienced though, never had one that happened after the Lotus Casino."

 

"So it's the distant past usually? That's why it's only you and Hazel?" Will couldn't work it out. "But why now? Why this?"

 

"I don't know. Maybe because it's _here_. Tartarus messes with your mind. Or maybe it was so... traumatic, that I'm having trouble letting it go."

 

"The nightmares?"

 

"Yeah."

 

Will had figured that the nightmares had been about this place. Nico had actually lived in his father's palace, in the Underworld, but he didn't imagine that was bad at all. Even Hades, when Will had last seen him during the Titan War, seemed more just like a dad than a god. He was creepy as all get out, but not inherently scary. But Tartarus, the absolute pit of the Underworld where the worst monsters went when they died? He couldn't even imagine.

 

Will opened his mouth to say something else, but forgot what it was when the tunnel suddenly opened up and they spilled out onto a barren wasteland, lit orange by what looked like a river of fire in the distance.

 

"Phlegethon," Nico said, facing him and indicating the river with a wide gesture. "Welcome to Hell."

 

Without looking away from Will, Nico drew his sword and stabbed an old-lady-looking-monster-with-wings straight through the heart. Will watched her disintegrate into dust with his mouth wide open.

 

"What the..." Will found himself unable to finish the thought.

 

Nico grimaced at him and turned around. He forged ahead quickly, slicing through any monsters that came his way. Will soon realized that he hadn't been kidding about the jujitsu thing. He tired quickly as he fought, especially when he used his Underworld magic, bringing skeletons fourth to slay the monsters when he was outnumbered.

 

When he became too weak to continue, Nico would drag himself to the side of the Phlegethon and drink from its banks. After the first time Will reacted in horror, Nico explained that the river had healing properties. It had been the only reason he'd made it as far as he did.

 

All Will had known from Nico's time down here was the ending. He'd gotten captured down here by some giants and been held hostage inside of a jar, almost dying during his captivity, but had been saved by his stepmother Persephone's pomegranate seeds. And when he was rescued, he'd gone on to shadow travel the freaking Athena Parthenos itself halfway across the world and somehow not die from the magnitude of it. Will had been impressed to say the least when he'd heard the story, but he could tell that Nico had been holding a lot back. And now he knew why.

 

They didn't talk much as they walked. Being forced to watch as Nico was constantly being bombarded by monsters, unable to fully recover before another one attacked, Will had to keep telling himself that he wasn't technically here and he couldn't help. All he could do was watch as Nico became more and more exhausted, dragging his black sword along the ground and panting. He drank from the river of fire as often as he could, though it continued to cause him pain to do so.

 

After a while, Nico looked at him, though he was unfocused. "Misery," was all he said.

 

"What?"

 

"Not what. Who. Achlys, the Goddess of Misery."

 

Will knew exactly who Nico was talking about. Percy and Annabeth had described their encounter in the retelling of their story to the camp. Percy had almost killed her, choking her with her own golden Ichor, but had stopped when Annabeth told him to. It sent chills down his spine to think of Nico taking her on alone. "You never said you fought her."

 

"I didn't," he answered, face drawn and haggard. "She let me go."

 

"Excuse me?" Will asked. "Why would she let you go?"

 

"You'll see."

 

They kept walking along the banks until Will began to notice a shape huddled a little ways away away from the fire. Nico glanced at him. "I tried to avoid her," he said before he was lifted about six inches off the ground and pulled forward.

 

"Nico!" Will called, running after.

 

Nico stopped floating ten feet in front of the shape, and Will could do nothing but stop and stare.

 

It was a woman.

 

She looked like she was dead, and had been for a long time, except that she gazed up through the blood and rot and tears with intelligent eyes. Nico didn't struggle as he looked at her. He kept glancing over to Will, so Will knew that he was still in his mind.

 

"Thought you could avoid me, son of Hades?" the woman's voice croaked out. "You would think to make it to the Doors of Death without my mist to conceal you? How foolish."

 

Nico's voice was flat as he spoke. "I don't need it." Will watched as Nico faded into black smoke and reappeared half a foot away, gasping and hunched over. Achlys used her powers to lift him up again, and Nico flinched violently, hissing in a breath. Pain flickered across his face as he attempted to maintain his awareness of reality.

 

"You do," she said, matter-of-factly. "Your shadow travel powers will not behave like you expect down here, child." Then she asked, "Why do you not weep?" She made a face as if she were truly concerned. "The anguish you feel, the pain... You're all pins and needles inside."

 

Will swallowed. Nico looked away from him, ashamed.

 

"Let me go," he said. His feet were still above the ground, and they began to move of their own accord. Will could imagine past-Nico kicking furiously, attempting to escape.

 

"I will," said Misery, and Nico's feet stopped.

 

"You will?" he asked, mono-toned, like reading from a script.

 

"You will face a worse fate than whatever I could conjure the further you go, I would not presume to prolong the inevitable."

 

"What do you mean?" Nico asked.

 

"You will fail."

 

"No."

 

"I do not taunt when I tell you this. I only speak the horrific truth, son of Hades."

 

She dropped him and Nico stumbled forward, falling to his knees and clutching the ground. A bit of his composure slipped away and a look of fear flashed across his features.

 

"You're seriously just going to let me leave?" he asked, though his voice shook.

 

"There is truly nothing I could do that could cause you more pain. You are perfect," she gave a sickening smile. "Begone. You have my blessing," she said, and vanished.

 

Nico slowly got to his feet, ignoring Will's offered hand.

 

Will took a deep breath, fearing what would come next. "Nico-" he started, but he held up at hand.

 

"Don't." He pushed past Will to where the ground continued to slope downwards.

 

Will followed.

 

The monsters came more frequently, giving Nico little time to rest.

 

Though for the most part he managed to stay within his own head, there were moments where Will could see the terror on his face, hope draining away like a whirlpool. The son of Hades was in way over his head and he knew it. But still, he kept fighting.

 

After a time, Will looked up and saw what Annabeth had described off in the distance. The Doors of Death. It was so far away that all the monsters around it looked like ants swarming a hill. There was no possible way anyone could make it through alive.

 

Nico attempted to shadow travel, fading into smoke as what looked like a gorgon slashed at him with her claws. He reappeared fifty feet away, doubled over and breathing hard. Will was forced to follow, pooping into existence a couple of yards away.

 

"Nico, you can't..." Will said.

 

"I know," he panted, but tried again. They made it another fifty feet, except this time when they reappeared, Nico collapsed to the ground. A nearby giant witnessed this and kicked him in the side causing Nico to gasp in pain.

 

"No!" Will ran forward to help, realizing as he did it how useless he would be when he technically didn't exist, but it was too late anyway.

 

Laughing, the giant picked Nico up by his collar and hit him over the head.

 

Will's surroundings faded to black as Nico slumped.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

When the world made sense again, Nico and Will were in a small, confined space and Will realized with horror that it must have been the jar the Nico was held in for almost 5 days.

 

Only a small ring of light from the lid illuminated their close quarters. The jar itself was about four feet wide in all directions, except for where it curved inward toward the top. Nico was slumped against the side, eyes moving sluggishly beneath the lids.

 

Will wasn't actually claustrophobic, not any more than any normal person was anyway. But pressed up close against the edge of the jar and with barely any room for movement lest he knee Nico in the face, he couldn't stop the panic slowly rising inside his chest.

 

Nico groaned. Will had no idea how long Nico had been unconscious once he'd gotten knocked out. But the bruises under his eyes and sallowness of his skin made Will think it had been more than enough time for what little oxygen there was in his prison to diminish.

 

Nico's eyes opened in a daze. He looked right past Will, unseeing, and up at the top of the jar. He reached up with a shaking hand and tried to push the lid off, but whether it was too heavy or he was too weak, it didn't budge.

 

Nico fell back against the wall and sucked in the air, tears falling freely. Will wasn't real, of course, so he wasn't affected. "Nico?" No answer. "Nico, please tell me you can hear me."

 

A struggle ensued on Nico's face. Finally, thank the gods, his eyes cleared and he looked into Will's face. He breathed easier.

 

"I'm sorry," Nico said. He looked so ashamed of himself that Will reached out to touch his cheek, but Nico gently took Will's hand and pulled it away. "I'm trying to stay aware, it's just... I think about this all the time. It never goes away. No matter what I do or whether I sleep or not. It'll get bad, Will. There's already barely any air left. I'm sure they open it at least once because I didn't die, but I still have to go into the Death Sleep to survive."

 

He reached his free hand into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out five pomegranate seeds.

 

"These are the reason I'm still here at all."

 

Will nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

 

Nico placed four of them onto the ground next to his feet, keeping one in his hand. "We're you still seeing everything when I got knocked out?" He asked Will. "Or did you just flash to this."

 

"The, um, the second one. I didn't see how you got in here."

 

Nico nodded, taking a deep breath. "Good. At least it won't be so terrible for you. I wasn't awake much."

 

Will swallowed. He couldn't bear it. "Nico, why didn't you tell me? This is nothing to be ashamed of." Piper's words from lunch days ago echoed in his head, but he ignored them. It wasn't the same. "I could've-"

 

"You couldn't have helped, Will, I'm sorry. All of it getting worse and all that, it was all leading to this big flashback. Nothing could have stopped it. Maybe now though... And you've seen it, in a weird way I've gotten it out in the open... Honestly, this will probably help." he looked like he didn't quite believe it, but he was hopeful. "And I'm sorry for what you're about to see, but still... Thank you."

 

Will found himself taken aback. "For what?"

 

"For being here, unwilling participant or not." He actually smiled before popping the pomegranate seed in his mouth and swallowing. It took a few minutes, but finally, Nico's head fell onto Will's shoulder and the world faded away.

 

 

 

 

…

 

 

 

 

Will came back to himself abruptly, as if nothing had happened at all, like he'd blinked and missed the last twenty-four hours. Nico's head still rested on him, though he appeared to be waking up.

 

With a low moan, Nico sat up and looked around. The fear in his eyes was palpable, but he seemed to be holding steady in his mind. "Hey," he said faintly, not looking Will in the eyes.

 

"It's been a day?" Will asked, flummoxed.

 

Nico nodded. "Must be." He shifted around uncomfortably. Will noticed his breathing begin to pick up so he placed a hand on his arm.

 

"Hey, it's okay. This isn't really happening."

 

"I... I know. Just, ah, keep telling me that, kay?" He moved, attempting to look for more space. Will tried to make himself as small as he could, but found it impossible.

 

Will could feel no pain. The way he was curled up, unable to stretch out, he would have had compartment syndrome within a matter of hours, but because he wasn't real, it wasn't an issue. Nico on the other hand, seemed to have no recourse, memories of a day's worth of being practically dead invading his mind and his body. He tried to adjust again, wincing as he did so.

 

"Take the seed," Will said. Handing him one. "It might help."

 

"It won't," Nico shook his head, but he took it anyway because it was what was expected.

 

"Okay, then, just focus on me, and remember that this isn't happening."

 

"Okay," he said and unexpectedly wrapped his arms around Will's middle and leaned against him, trembling slightly. Will stiffened for a moment before hugging him back, unsure of himself, but offering what little comfort he could.

 

Will could do nothing but repeat words like a mantra as Nico shivered in his arms. "It's okay, it's not real. It's not real."

 

Finally the Death Sleep kicked in again and Nico went slack. Darkness overtook them until the next time when Nico awoke with a sharp cry.

 

"Will," he sobbed, unable to hold back the pain. He held Will tightly, pressing his face into Will's chest, leaving the hot dampness of tears on his shirt.

 

Will freed a hand and passed Nico the next seed. "Here," he lied. "This will help."

 

Nico took it and passed out again after another few moments of suffering. Will went gratefully into the shadow.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

Nico woke again, but now was so weak that he barely even noticed Will was there, didn't look at him, didn't acknowledge him when Will said his name. The change was so drastic that it scared Will. Nico was dying, he could sense it.

 

No. He wasn't. This wasn't real. _This isn't real._

 

Will saw a few tears slip from Nico's eyes as he swallowed the next seed. "I don't want to die," he whispered, if only to himself. Will's heart broke at the sincerity.

 

One seed left.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

The last time Nico woke up, he could barely breathe. Will had to keep shouting at him that it wasn't real, so he wouldn't panic. But he couldn't help but think that the past-Nico, when he'd really been in this jar, would have been beyond reach in his fear.

 

"Nico, please! You're not dying, this isn't real!" Will was crying as pleaded with him over and over. "Wake up!" He couldn't see Nico's face as he was hunched over, but he held him tightly. There was pure panic in his bones as Nico gaped widely, attempting to draw in air.

 

Then, as if from nowhere, he stilled. Will's heart stopped for a moment before Nico sat up and looked Will in the face. "I'm so sorry," he said, eyes wet. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

 

Will reached forward and pulled him into an embrace. "It's okay," he whispered.

 

"I really thought I was going to die, you know," he said, clinging tightly. "I'd given up."

 

Will's heart, already in overdrive, panged in sympathy. He understood why Nico would have felt that way; now more than anyone else in the world.

 

"You didn't, though. You were rescued."

 

"I know," he said, sitting back and putting the last seed into his mouth, before he passed out in Will's arms.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

Will jerked awake and looked around Cabin 13. It was almost dark outside. They must have been lying there for hours.

 

He glanced over at Nico who was trying to sit up, and immediately went into doctor mode, because Nico was freaking dying the last time he saw him, touching Nico's forehead and attempting to take his pulse. Nico did not pull his hand away, instead, he made his voice soft.

 

"Hey, I'm okay, it's fine. I was rescued, remember."

 

Will was pretty sure he was in shock. He was, not Nico, breaths coming faster and tears springing forth from his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, but then lunged at Nico, hugging him and not intending to let go any time soon. Tears came and they wouldn't stop. He cried so much his chest started to hurt.

 

Nico patted his back awkwardly at first, but after a few minutes, he moved. Nico stood up and helped Will onto the bed, pulling him down so that Will laid with his head on Nico's chest.

 

Will heaved in a few breaths to gain his composure and looked up a Nico, who seemed pretty worried at his outburst. "I'm so sorry," Will managed, liquid dripping off of his nose, although he wasn't sure if it was tears or snot. He wiped it away and more replaced it. "No one should have to have gone through something like that. It's not fair." His head dropped back onto Nico's chest as silent sobs wracked his body.

 

Nico pushed his fingers through the back of Will's hair and kept them there. "It's okay. It's over."

 

Will could do nothing by quiver in sorrow, fingers gripping Nico's shirt. After a little while, he let out a gust of air. "I'm sorry," he swallowed and raised his head again. Nico's eyes bore into his own. "I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around."

 

"It's alright," Nico said, giving a sad little grin. "It may not seem like it, but you being there helped. I would have just been alone again if you hadn't found me. So, thank you. I mean it."

 

Will nodded, suddenly exhausted. He could feel his eyes drooping. "I'm glad I could help."

 

Nico huffed a laugh and pulled Will's head back down to him. "Go to sleep, you giant sap."

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

They woke up to the dinner call, and awkwardly trudged their way down to the pavilion. It was crowded and people kept looking at them.

 

Will patted down his hair and tried to straighten his shirt. He was sure they both looked terrible and not a little mussed, and the image they must be presenting did nothing for Will's embarrassment. He was grateful when he could get food, if only so he could turn away from the stares.

 

"Hey," Nico whispered, as they burned the best portion of their meals in the ceremonial fire. "Just chill out. They're just extrapolating based on the evidence. And making your face turn that color is just making it worse."

 

If anything, Will felt his face burn hotter. So Nico was seeing it too?

 

"Oh my gods," Nico said, pulling him towards table 13.

 

"I'm not supposed-"

 

"Who cares?"

 

Will found that he certainly didn't give a crap at the moment.

 

"Look," Nico said as they sat down. "If you think people are going to think things just because you're hanging out with a gay guy -"

 

"What? No! That's not it. I mean it is, but it's not like that."

 

"I don't understand. You're clearly embarrassed."

 

"But it's not of you. I'm just... I haven't told anyone okay. And I'm not ashamed of it, it's just... difficult to tell people. And here they are just making assumptions based on nothing."

 

"You're..."

 

"Yes."

 

"Oh. I, um... I didn't know."

 

The side of Will's mouth raised in a smile. "Well I suppose I wasn't too obvious then."

 

Nico opened his mouth as if to say something, but then his brain seemed to short circuit.

 

"Just shut up," Will said, and focused on his food.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

 

 

During the next few days, Will spent most of his free time with Nico. After everything that he'd seen in Nico's head, it just felt right. He felt drawn to him. And it wasn't only Will who seemed to feel that way; Nico sought him out just as often, waving for his attention if he saw him and sitting with him during campfires.

 

"It should be easy," Will explained as they were taking one day after swordsmanship class, which Will had volunteered to help Nico teach on a semi-permanent basis. "Telling people, I mean. And in a perfect world, it might be. It's something I've wanted to get off of my chest for a while."

 

Nico nodded thoughtfully, from where he sat leaning against the concrete dividing wall. The kids had left already, taking animatedly about getting to go to the lake after lunch. "Why haven't you? Nobody would care. I can pretty much guarantee it."

 

Will chuckled. He sat facing Nico, back toward the rest of the camp, knees against the wall. "Because it's weird. People will look at me differently."

 

"So?"

 

"So.... I don't want to be looked at differently. Telling people isn't going to change who I am, but it will change the way I'm... interpreted."

 

Nico raised an eyebrow.

 

"Come on, Neeks. You know what I mean."

 

He shrugged but looked thoughtful. "Like, yeah. I guess so. But maybe it's just something that has to happen."

 

"Why though? Straight people don't have to tell people that they're straight, it's just assumed."

 

Nico hummed. "Yeah." He squinted up at the sky. "But you are the son of Apollo. Maybe it's not so assumed. Kayla literally has two dads."

 

"True."

 

"So...you keep talking about telling 'everyone.'" He used finger quotes around 'everyone.' "Have you told your mom or are you just waiting?"

 

Will's heart seemed to freeze. He'd been thinking about that for a while, but... "I want to," he said, "but she..."

 

"What? She doesn't like gay people?" He looked so offended on Will's behalf it was almost funny. "Does she even know about Apollo?"

 

"Yeah, I mean... She knew. But that was 15 years ago, back when she was a different person. Then she married my step-dad and-" his heart rate began to pick up, but Will tried to force himself to calm down. "My mom has never really said yea or nay about how she feels about gay people, but she listens to what _he_ says."

 

Nico leaned forward, laid a hand on Will's knee. "What does he say?"

 

"I mean, we're from Texas, you know. If my accent didn't already give it away," he said. "People have _very_ strong beliefs down there, and he's always trying to get me to join football and be something I'm not, like an athlete or some kind of douchebag or...whatever."

 

"Will."

 

"And he's always talking about 'those fags ruining marriage for the rest of us' and 'trying to turn people gay.' And then he always brings me into it saying that I'm soft and that football will make me into a real man if he has anything to do with it and-" he was rambling and he knew it. The thing was, he'd never really spoken about this to anyone, and now that he could, he found that he couldn't stop. "And I'm pretty sure he _knows_ about me and that's why he keeps doing and saying those things, and he even funds those conversion camps and talks about how much good they do and I'm afraid that if I say anything that he'll send me there and-"

 

"Will!" Nico shook his leg. Will hadn't realized that there were tears forming in his eyes until he looked at Nico and he looked blurry. "It's okay," he said.

 

"I-I can't tell them. I'd be kicked out, or forced to go to one of those _places_. I mean I could always just stay here year-round, but-" he took a breath, blinking rapidly. "I love my family. I don't want to lose that. And I know that seems ridiculous given the circumstances, but..."

 

"You don't have to tell them if you don't want to." Nico's eyes were serious. "You don't have to tell anyone. Not until you're ready." He said the last sentence with such force that Will blinked. There was something behind those words that he didn't understand.

 

Will put a post-it note on that for a later conversation, and nodded, rubbing his suddenly running nose. "It's like, I figure if people knew here, then at least I'd have that, you know."

 

Nico tried for a smile. "I get it," he said, tilting his head to one side in a shrug.

 

"So... What was is like telling Percy that you liked him?"

 

Nico's face became one big eyeroll, but he laughed it off. "It was stupid and embarrassing. But worth it. It had been eating away at me for so long, and it felt good to get it off of my chest. And I think he's finally starting to get over it."

 

Will smirked. "It looked painful."

 

"Gods, did you see his face," Nico gave a big boom of a laugh. "He was so confused."

 

"Poor sheltered Jackson." They both laughed. "Have you told Hazel?" he asked.

 

"Of course." Nico said. "I told her first, but Jason knew a long time before that. And then I told Reyna. And then Percy. I think that after the first two, it made it a lot easier."

 

"How did Jason know?"

 

He worked his mouth into a grimace. "Long story, not Jason's fault. It was during the quest."

 

Will nodded, wary of the look of utter distaste in Nico's tone. He watched as Nico tried to hide it. He smiled. "Well, still, it was very brave. And also... I'm glad that you stayed at camp."

 

Nico grinned back at him.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, when he was alone, Will would remember all that Nico went through down in Tartarus and just start to cry. It happened a lot. Usually when he was in the shower, once when he was at work at the infirmary overnight, and twice at dinner with his siblings. He'd had to excuse himself both times, saying something like "forgot something" or "bathroom." They stared at him like he was crazy, but always let him go.

 

He thought about it all the time. He dreamed about it. No one should have had to go through something so horrible. Yes, they were demigods. Yes, they're lives were pretty much destined to suck. But... Let no one ever say that Nico di Angelo wasn't brave, okay? He'd known, for the most part, what he had been getting himself into when he decided to find the Doors of Death. He had to have known there was a real possibility that he would die, but he did it anyway.

 

And it hurt Will to imagine it, but, at least at the beginning, he couldn't help thinking that Nico didn't actually care if he lived or died. He'd practically taken on a solo suicide mission, and he didn't care. But then, in the jar, he'd whispered brokenly that he didn't want to die.

 

The boy who'd lost his sister, the only person in the world that had ever truly cared about him. The boy who'd been lost and alone for so long, living a broken existence on the edge of reality, who thought no one at camp gave a crap about him because of the stupid idiots who just assumed that being a child of the Underworld meant that he was evil. The boy who had kept a secret for so long that it began to eat him up from the inside.

 

It made Will sick that he hadn't seen any of that sooner, and he wished that he had tried harder to keep him around.

 

Nico had saved the world. But at what cost?

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

"Hippogryff?"

 

"It's like a... Eagle-slash-horse. An eag-orse if you would." Will made a weird mashing gesture with his hands.

 

Nico looked at him like he was concerned for Will's mental health.

 

Will tried again. "Horgle?"

 

A loud voice came from the next table, and they looked over to see Percy Jackson's grinning face. "Did you just make a wombo?"

 

"A what?" Nico asked, even more confused than before.

 

"A word-combo. Wombo!" he shouted and they both flinched. "Rachel told me about those, where you take two words and make a new word. Like Brangelina!"

 

He just looked so proud of himself that Will and Nico both nodded silently.

 

Seemingly satisfied at passing along the knowledge, Percy nodded and went back to talking to Jason, who's table was literally right next to Percy's (Will wondered whose bright idea that had been.)

 

They looked at each other and shrugged. Nico whispered, unwilling to draw Percy's attention again, "If the wombo is hippogryff, shouldn't it be a hippo and a griffin?"

 

Will's mouth fell open from shock. "Oh my gods, you're right."

 

Will had been eating at Nico's table a lot the last week or so. Chiron gave them weird looks sometimes, like he was waiting for Will to get the hint and cut it out. He sat with his brothers and sisters most of the time - he was the Head Counsellor after all - but he just hated leaving Nico to eat by himself. Especially given how he'd coped with it after the last war. Will hadn't been nearly as brave as to have defied Chiron's rules back then, but now, it was worth the possible, though yet unseen, wrath of the centaur.

 

"So, uh," Will began, but faltered. It was just a friendly request, but still he felt nervous. "When are you gonna come visit me in the infirmary again?"

 

Nico raised his eyebrows. "Will." Annabeth had ambushed Nico with a hair brush at the beginning of dinner and forced him to sit still while she pulled his wavy hair back into a ponytail with a scrunchy. It was... kind of adorable and Will couldn't keep from glancing at it every once in a while. And yeah, Will hadn't missed the tiny smile that had brushed Nico's lips when Annabeth patted the top of his head in a motherly gesture.

 

"Just to... say hi. Or something. I don't mean to stay."

 

"Duh, I get that. But really though. Nobody handled it very well when I was staying there _as a patient_. What makes you think they'll handle it well if I'm just there to observe." He continued to chew his food like it was nothing, which only served to irritate Will. "They'll think someone is going to die."

 

"Well, nobody is sick enough to be dying right now, so that would be exceptionally dumb of them."

 

Nico huffed, a smile paying on his lips.

 

"I mean, of course you don't have to." He could hear the disappointment in his own voice.

 

Nico clenched his jaw, but then sighed, giving in. "Okay, I guess. When do you work next?"

 

"Tomorrow morning," Will said hopefully.

 

"Ugh, fine," Nico said, but Will heard humor in his voice.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

Will threatened everyone in the infirmary that morning before Nico got there that they were to remain freaking calm when he arrived. The persons present included: a 12 year old Demeter camper who had cut her hand with some hedge clippers, an older Ares camper with athlete's foot, and Will's 10 year old brother Braden, whom Will was still in the process of training.

 

"Seriously guys, he is not the harbinger of death, nor can he see all death related futures. He's just coming to hang out and see how we do things."

 

"Why?" asked Phil, the Ares camper who was having medicated socks applied by Braden.

 

"Because I asked him to."

 

Phil just rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

 

Cara, Demeter's daughter, just smiled. "I'm okay with Nico. He's so dreamy."

 

Will had to fight back a laugh.

 

"Keep dreaming, girly," said Phil gruffly. "You're not exactly his type."

 

"What? Why not?" She looked so offended, Will almost felt bad for her.

 

"Because you're a girl, dummy. Get out of your garden and get with the gossip."

 

Will sighed, waving his hands between them to dismiss the conversation. "Just be nice, okay? Please?"

 

Braden chimed in, bouncing in his chair, blonde curls following the movement. "I like him. He's a good sword fighter. He's much better than you, Will."

 

Braden was in their class. "I agree, little bro."

 

"Ugh. Can I leave now?" Phil asked, petulantly.

 

"Zip it," Braden scolded. "Do you want this to get worse?"

 

Phil humphed, but stopped complaining.

 

Nico showed up a few minutes later. He opened the door slowly, almost as if he were trying not to startle anyone, and peaked his head in to gauge the situation. Will found this quite amusing.

 

"Come on in," Phil deadpanned. "We know you're not here to kill us."

 

Will glared daggers at him before approaching Nico, who was giving Phil much the same look. "Welcome to the infirmary!" Will grinned.

 

"I've been here before, Will."

 

"I know. Just thought I'd welcome you properly."

 

"I know you don't do that to everyone." They walked to the desk, near the back of the room.

 

"I do sometimes. I like to keep it light and breezy!" Will was so excited he could do a flip. (He actually could _not_ do a flip. The last time he'd tried, he'd nearly broken his arm and Cecil had laughed so hard he threw up.)

 

"So, um... What now?"

 

Will handed him a clip board. "We've been kind of busy and I haven't done inventory in ages."

 

"Uuuuuuuggghhhh," Nico replied.

 

Will propped the supply room door open so that they could keep a breeze going, yet despite being completely open to the infirmary proper, it was pretty quiet inside.

 

Nico read from the list and Will gave him a count. It was simple work which Will normally despised, but having Nico there helping did a lot to lift his spirits. And despite his previous annoyance at actually having to do work, Nico seemed to enjoy the tedium as well.

 

Will caught himself every once in a while looking at the other boy. The single bulb gave off a harsh light, though Will didn't notice any of the harshness reflected on Nico's face. His olive skin and dark eyes spoke of soft, easy beauty, and Will couldn't help thinking of what it would feel like to run his fingers through Nico's long hair, now pulled back with a simple black hair tie.

 

Nico looked up at him from the clipboard and Will flushed, looking quickly back to the bottles of hydrogen peroxide. "Um, twenty five," he said, deliberately keeping his face turned away.

 

Nico took longer to respond than normal and Will had to look back at him. His cheeks were tinged pink, but he met Will's gaze without flinching. He smirked a little, then said, "Alcohol swabs?"

 

Grateful for the excuse, Will turned back to the shelf to count the boxes, mentally berating himself for getting caught.

 

'Idiot,' he mouthed to himself, touching each box in turn. When he was done, he reported, "Fifty-three."

 

Nico marked it down. Will looked back up at Nico's face as he did so, but then looked away again when he leaned back to crack the bones in his neck.

 

"How much longer," Nico asked, but Will saw the hint of a smile on his lips. "You're killing me here."

 

"We should be almost done with this, but after, we can start preparing some more first aid kits for the cabins."

 

Nico sighed and rolled his eyes. "You seem way to excited to be doing all of this work. What do you do in your free time? Organize your socks by color?"

 

Will laughed. "Thanks for the compliment, but no, I'm not that obsessive."

 

"So what do you do then?"

 

"You know what I do."

 

"No I don't. You bother me about my health, follow up on patients, and when you're not doing that, you're teaching class or ferrying around your little siblings." He laid the clipboard on a shelf and crossed his arms. "What do you do for fun, Solace?"

 

Will open his mouth to reply, closed it, and then opened it again. "Why? Are you suggesting we do something together?"

 

Nico shrugged one shoulder. "Well..." He stayed counting on his fingers. "I've already done your work with you, taught with you, eaten with you. It seems like the next logical move. So what do you like to do?"

 

"Gee, I don't-"

 

The outer infirmary for slammed open, causing both boys to flinch violently and reach for non-existent weapons.

 

They looked over to see Clarisse la Rue helping a semi-conscious Holly, daughter of Nike to sit down on a bed with the assistance of Braden.

 

Holly had blood trickling down the side of her face.

 

Will pushed past Nico to get out of the supply room, and he knelt down in front of Holly, reaching a hand out to assess the damage.

 

"What happened," he heard Nico ask Clarisse behind him.

 

Clarisse did not seemed disturbed to find Nico present. If nothing else, she seemed to respect his combat skills, having a more than once asked him to spar with her on the training grounds and not being offended when he sometimes won. "She didn't keep her guard up."

 

"You did that?" Braden asked, or rather squeaked, and when Will twisted around in his knees to look at her, she just shrugged.

 

"I said I was sorry."

 

"Well," Will said, turning back and probing gently at the wound underneath her hair, "she probably has a concussion, so you'll have to remind her of that tomorrow."

 

Holly mumbled something about the grass by the training fields, while Will checked the pupil response with his penlight. Uneven.

 

"Braden," Will said, "grab me some antiseptic and bandages. I don't think she needs stitches. Nico, can you help me lay her down." It took a second for Nico to realize he'd been asked to help, but then he took Holly's other arm and helped to guide her backwards and onto a pillow.

 

"You win," slurred Holly to Clarisse as she squinted up at her standing over the bed. Will found himself a little shocked and maybe a little honored to hear a real and true humble admittance of loss from a child of Nike.

 

Clarisse nodded once. "Noble defeat," she said comfortingly. Will didn't really think so, but he knew better than to mention it.

 

"You can sit over here," Braden said carefully to Clarisse as he dropped the supplies next to Will.

 

"No thanks," she said gruffly. "I've got somewhere to be. But I'll be back later." The way she intoned it, it sounded like a threat.

 

She stomped out of the door, and Braden breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Holly reached for Nico's face with a mumbled, "Cutie pie," but he slapped her hand away.

 

"It's all right, Holly," Will said. "We'll get you patched up and back out there for a rematch in no time."

 

"Good," she grumbled, and Will got to work.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

The next day, Will was in the middle of a shower when Annabeth burst into the boy's bathroom of the Apollo cabin. "Will!" she shouted.

 

"Aaahhh!" he shouted back, trying not to slip and fall and potentially die while naked. "What!?" he demanded.

 

"Chiron called a meeting," Annabeth told him, voice quieter, but not losing a single ounce of intensity. "Twenty minutes."

 

"What? Why?" He thought about it, and poked his head around the curtain. Water dripped from his nose. "Is something wrong?"

 

"We're going to talk about your father."

 

Will's heart dropped into his stomach. "Is there any news? Has he been found?"

 

Her voice went soft. "No."

 

Will swallowed. He felt guilty. He'd barely even thought about his father since they'd heard about his disappearance. What with running the infirmary and his cabin in the aftermath of a war and worrying about Nico, it hadn't really crossed his mind. How could he have forgotten?

 

He took a breath. "I'll be there."

 

The ping pong table was already full when he arrived, but Clarisse managed to shove a couple of people over to let him sit down next to her. She always was so nice to him.

 

Will looked across the table to see Nico squished in between Percy and Jason, dwarfed by their size, and looking none too happy about it. Will smiled a bit at him and Nico gave a small pained grimace back.

 

Chiron began from his wheelchair at the left end of the table. "Now that we can begin," he said, "it has come to my attention, via Rachel," he indicated Rachel Dare who was sat beside the centaur, "that the Oracle has remained as silent as it was during the war. I have asked and pleaded with anyone I can speak to and they still give me the same answer. Apollo is unavailable."

 

Will's throat seemed to close up, so Nico asked the question for him. "And what exactly does that mean?" He looked angry. Will understood how he felt; they'd all just helped the gods win the war and now they were being given the cold shoulder.

 

"I don't know," Chiron answered. "But, I would assume it means that Apollo is to receive some kind of punishment."

 

Will finally managed to clear his throat. "But surely he'll be okay."

 

Haley, Head Counsellor of the Demeter cabin, interjected with a snort. "Yeah, just like Prometheus was okay."

 

Will's heart filled with something like dread. He heard Clarisse growl at Haley, and Percy, Annabeth, and Nico all came to his defense, shouting incoherently at her. Will swallowed past the lump in his throat and kept his head down. How could he not have... "He'll be okay, right, Chiron?" he asked, quieting the din.

 

Chiron sighed. "Gods cannot die, Will. As to being 'okay,' however, I suppose that's relative to the circumstances."

 

"Of what?"

 

"Well, as unnecessarily harsh as Haley put it, she is correct in her assumptions. Prometheus offended Zeus, and was chained to a rock to have a crow eat his liver every new day. Apollo, though none of us here agree with the judgment, has also offended Zeus."

 

Jason looked livid. "But Apollo is Zeus's son. He wouldn't do something like that."

 

"Wouldn't he?" Annabeth asked. She looked at Will. "I'm sorry, but, that's just what Zeus dues."

 

Will raised his eyes to the ceiling, blinking rapidly. "So what are we supposed to do?"

 

He could feel all eyes on him. He found Nico's gaze, zeroing in on his intensity, trying to ignore the reddening of his own face. _Don't cry. Don't cry._

 

Nico looked at Will with such sympathy that Will's heart picked up a few more beats per minute. The boy's dark eyes seemed to be calculating something deep within, like he was deciding on something, though Will did not know what.

 

Will kept his gaze until Chiron spoke. "We can hope." Chiron then rolled his wheelchair back from the table with finality. "Well that's the news. We'll discuss it more tomorrow at the regular meeting."

 

Everyone stood up as one, everyone but Will. Clarisse patted him kindly on the shoulder, though Will caught her glaring at Haley. What he wanted was to talk to Nico and he was about to rise to do so when he spotted Percy grabbing Nico's arm and dragging him to the corner of the room, whispering furiously at him.

 

Quicker than a flash, Nico twisted out of his grip and practically flew out of the Big House doors. Percy clenched his jaw and walked out of the doors as well.

 

What in the Hades?

 

Waving off Chiron's attempts at comforting him, Will stood and followed them. Percy was marching angrily toward the lake, presumably to go and cool off underwater.

 

He didn't see Nico anywhere.

 

Something was wrong, Will could feel it. He tried to put it together in his head as he took off, not really knowing where to go, but nothing clicked. He'd clearly missed something important during the meeting. Nico had looked like he was trying to decide something, but what on earth could it be? And why did Percy know when he didn't? He looked around the pavilion, then the training grounds before the answer hit him right in the back of the head.

 

Cabin 13.

 

Will burst in the doors of Nico's cabin just as Nico was securing the sheath of his Stygian Iron sword, facing away from the entrance.

 

He growled. "Percy! I said leave me-" He turned and froze. "Oh. It's you."

 

Will stepped further into the cabin. "Yeah, it's just me. What's wrong? Is Percy..."

 

Nico sighed. "He's just being overprotective."

 

"I don't understand. Nico, what-"

 

"I'm going to the Underworld. Percy figured out my plan and was trying to go with me."

 

Dread slammed back into Will full force. "What? You can't!"

 

"Will," he began. "I'm just going to ask my father about Apollo. He might tell me-"

 

"You don't have to. It's okay, I-"

 

"Seriously, Will. I'm not... I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for everyone. Rachel is floundering, no one can go on a quest or anything without a prophecy, and you..." He sighed. "We need to know." He seemed so sure of his decision.

 

Will stepped closer. "Is there any way I can talk you out of this?"

 

"I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think it would help. If Apollo is being punished, we have to..."

 

"To what?"

 

"I don't _know_ ," he said. "But I have to try."

 

"Then I'm going with you."

 

Nico stopped. "What? No. I'll go-"

 

"I'm going," Will said. "Doctor's orders."

 

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Nico shouted, but he didn't seem angry, just frustrated.

 

"Look," Will said. "I realize you're just going to go to your father and not make any detours, but still. You don't always have to do stupid brave stuff by yourself."

 

Nico stopped for a moment, looking at Will indecisively. He obviously wanted to say no, and just go by himself anyway, and Will was sure that it would start an argument that he didn't really think he could have right now.

 

Instead, Nico reached toward Will, touched his still damp curls. It was almost curious, the gesture, but there was no sudden embarrassment, nor did Nico pull away, but rather dropped his hand when he was done.

 

"Okay," he said.

 

"Okay?" Will asked, momentarily unsure of what he was agreeing to or how much time had just passed with Nico's hand so close to his face.

 

"Okay, you can come with me. You're right, I'm just going to talk to my father. He's told me things before that he shouldn't have. Maybe..." He scratched the back of his head, flustered. The feeling was mutual.

 

"Okay," Will said. "Good."

 

"Cool," he looked at the ground awkwardly. "So, um, are you ready?"

 

"Right now?"

 

"Right now." Nico held out a hand, but Will hesitated.

 

"I've never shadow traveled before."

 

Nico snorted. "Well, duh. Come on," he wiggled his hand out in front of Will. "You don't have to do anything."

 

Will shrugged and took the proffered hand.

 

His legs disappeared first, sending chills up his spine and he squeezed Nico's hand in his fear. Nico squeezed back reassuringly.

 

Just at that moment, a panicked-looking Percy Jackson slammed through the cabin doors, but right before everything went black, their eyes met and Will swore he saw relief flood his features.

 

As if Will would let Nico face the Underworld alone ever again.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

The first thing that Will became aware of was Nico's hand still firmly gripping his own. Even once he could see - black sand and a garbage-filled river - he didn't let go. But then, neither did Nico.

 

Adrenaline spiked in Will's chest, as he remembered the first and last time he'd seen the river Styx, whether he had been real or not at the time. His thoughts wandered back away from the river to the crack in the cliff, the entrance to Tartarus.

 

Nico stumbled and Will could sense the sudden drain on his energy through their linked hands. "Woah, hey! You okay?"

 

Nico nodded and swallowed, white as a sheet. "Just, um... Need to sit down."

 

He didn't wait for help, instead, Nico's knees buckled underneath him and he crumpled. The only thing keeping him from landing face first in the sand was Will's hand on his chest.

 

"You overextended your strength," Will said, panicking slightly, looking Nico up and down to make sure he wasn't fading. "We should-"

 

"It's fine, Will. I didn't overdo it. It's just," he looked around in exasperation. "I haven't done it in a while, you know...and being down here isn't...it's just..."

 

"It's okay," Will reassured, holding up a placating hand. "We're not going anywhere bad."

 

Nico laughed. "Don't be so sure. Prepare to get the bejesus scared out of you."

 

"What?" Will grinned back. "By Hades? He doesn't seem _that_ scary."

 

"No, not him. Persephone." He glanced off in the distance, where they could see what looked like a dark castle. "She doesn't really like new people down here. She's done the whole crying ice thing before to freak people out."

 

Will thought about it and was man enough to admit that a vision like it would probably send him running for the hills. Or in this case, the Fields of Asphodel.

 

"Thanks for the warning."

 

Nico took a deep breath, readying himself, though he made no move to stand. "We should get going. You shouldn't be down here for too long."

 

"Me? Why?"

 

"It's not good for your mental health," he admitted. "Being cut off from the living world in such a way... It messes with you."

 

Will supposed Nico would know, having lived down here for so long after he'd run away, but he was kind of shocked to hear him admit it so freely.

 

Will gripped Nico's hand in both of his and held it in his lap. "Well, at least we're together."

 

Nico nodded and allowed Will to help him to his feet, and they made their way toward Hades' palace.

 

The entrance to the palace was magnificent. A long hall stretched off into the distance further than could be seen, branching off at random intervals, and filled with shadows. Will stared hard, and observed that the shadows were almost...flickering, as if they were alive. He chose to ignore it. They approached a hallway guarded by two miserable-looking skeletons with bits of flesh still hanging off their bones.

 

"Halt!" one of the skeletons called, teeth and armor clattering, though Will could not tell where it's voice came from, seeing as it didn't have a throat. "Who dares enter the castle of the damned?"

 

Nico rolled his eyes hugely. "Really, Hal?" he asked. "'Castle of the damned?' That's the best you could come up with?"

 

"Master Nico," the second skeleton made a fumbled attempt at a bow, the first one following suit. "We were not aware you would be gracing us with your presence today.

 

Nico turned his face toward Will with a smirk and mouthed 'suck up.' "I've come to see my father," he said importantly to the guards. "Please tell him."

 

The two skeletons clacked off inside, and Nico and Will followed a ways behind them.

 

Will was flummoxed. "You really are a prince."

 

Nico chuckled. "I mean, I guess. All of the guards are just afraid I'll make them do weird stuff if they upset me. It's happened once or twice."

 

Will laughed loudly, but stopped quickly when it echoed back to him with a psychotic twist.

 

"That happens," Nico reassured him, taking his hand again and squeezing. Will appreciated the gesture, and held on until they reached the throne room, where he not so subtly made a few feet of space between them.

 

Hades himself, much more intimidating in his throne room than he was on earth, sat in the center seat, flanked on each side by Demeter and Persephone, who was not crying ice, but had a certain _look_ in her eyes that gave Will the hebee jebees. (It also didn't help that all three of them were ten feet tall.)

 

"Nico, child," Persephone greeted, addressing Nico kindly, but then she glared at Will. "Why have you brought a son of Apollo to see us?"

 

"We would ask of you a favor," Nico addressed his words to all three of the gods. "It is _about_ Apollo."

 

"That insolent-" Demeter began.

 

"Demeter," Hades cut her off, voice deep and imposing. He looked to Will, who gulped, trying to make himself as small as possible and attempting to ignore the tortured faces in Hades robes. "You are worried about your father?"

 

Will nodded silently.

 

Nico took a step forward, slightly in front of Will, as if to draw attention to himself. "Anything you could tell us would help. Where is he?"

 

"He is," the God of the Underworld paused, gathering his response, "safe. For now. Zeus keeps him hidden away until the time is ripe for his punishment."

 

"And what will the punishment be?" Nico queried.

 

The silence dragged on so long that Will began to think he wouldn't tell them, but finally, Hades responded. "He will face trials more difficult than anyone before him. Zeus merely waits for the proper time to begin."

 

Will didn't really think that was much of an answer, but figured that Hades was already giving them much more than he should.

 

Nico didn't seem fazed. "Will you not tell us what the trials will be? If we can help?"

 

"No," Hades said with finality. Nico did not question him again. "Apollo will face his punishment alone. I admit, I do not agree with my dear brother's judgment, son of Apollo," he addressed Will again. His face was, not kind, but not completely cold. "And I do not know if you will be able to help him. I am sorry."

 

Hades voice was grave as he uttered the last sentence, which did nothing for the dripping fear in Will's gut. He nodded and thanked the God.

 

Hades nodded and then turned back to Nico. "I trust you are well, my son? And your sister?"

 

"I am," Nico said. "I intend on remaining at camp for the foreseeable future. And Hazel is okay too. I spoke to her the other day and she is settling back in at Camp Jupiter."

 

Hades nodded, face grim, though Will was beginning to think that it was his normal expression. "That is good to hear."

 

And with that, they were dismissed. Will and Nico remained mostly quiet during the walk back to the river.

 

On the banks of the Styx, Nico turned to face him. "I'm sorry," he said. "I really thought-"

 

"It's okay, Nico. Thank you for trying." Will couldn't really say that he felt much better about Apollo's predicament, now that he knew how big of a challenge laid ahead for his father. But having Nico here, so adamant about helping and trying his best to support him, it... Well, it helped a lot.

 

Will held out a hand and Nico took it, dissolving them once again into shadow.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

They reappeared back in the Hades cabin and Nico immediately began to yawn.

 

"I can go," Will said, letting go of Nico's hand.

 

"What? No!" he said, clumsily jumping in front of Will, halting his progress. "I'm fine, I'll take a nap later."

 

"You look exhausted."

 

He shrugged. "It's fine." Will hesitated. "Come on. Neither one of us have anywhere to be until dinner. I promise not to do anything too strenuous."

 

"Fine," Will huffed. "But you still look like crap."

 

Nico grinned. "Cool. Here, uh, help me."

 

He and Will took two of the bunks and pushed them together, before laying down and staring at the ceiling.

 

"You know," Nico said, "we never finished our conversation."

 

Will glanced over to see Nico still looking at the rafters, but with a soft look on his face. "What on earth are you talking about?"

 

"In the infirmary yesterday. I asked you what you liked to do and you were trying to get out of answering."

 

Will felt himself blush a little. "I wasn't trying to get out of it."

 

"You literally ran away from me."

 

"I did not! Holly was hurt!"

 

"You also pushed me," he said, shoving lightly at Will's shoulder.

 

Will shoved him back, but laughed when Nico began to yawn widely again. "You're a dork." He laid back and looked up. "I like to do things. I'm just so busy all the time."

 

"I know," Nico said, raising his arms above his head and stretching. Will kept his eyes forward. "But like what?"

 

"I don't know. Kayla and I do archery sometimes. Like in the woods. Michael used to take us out to do it, but we've, um, kept up the tradition."

 

Nico gave him a sympathetic smile. "I think technically that still counts as training. What about outside of camp?"

 

"Umm, I don't know. I just like walking around sometimes. I don't live in a big city or anything, so I can just go wherever I want. There's a lake near my house where I go."

 

"So you swim?"

 

"Yeah. Or just walk. I, uh..." Will shrugged. "I don't have a lot of friends there."

 

"Hmm," Nico said.

 

"I mean, I spend a lot of time at church. My parents drag me there just about every time it's open." Will chuckled. "Do you know how weird it is going to church being the son of the pagan bisexual god of the sun? It's like the blasphemy trifecta."

 

Nico snorted. Will looked over to see him smiling wide, though his eyes continued to droop. "But wait. Shouldn't Jesus technically be considered a demigod. I mean... It kind of fits."

 

"Oh my gods," Will said. "What if the Christian God is just Zeus wearing a secret disguise because he was trying to hide another kid from Hera?"

 

"Why does that make so much sense?" Nico asked laughing loudly. He turned to face Will, and the glimmer in his dark eyes was intoxicating. "Would that make Jason and Jesus brothers?"

 

"Well, half-brothers. But Jesus was more of an Apollo kid, don't you think?"

 

Nico shrugged. "I suppose he was more of a healer than a lightening-happy, overbearing weirdo."

 

"Gods, tell Jason what you really think."

 

He smirked. "What? I'm not saying it's a bad thing. He's a weirdo, but we still love him."

 

"I think Piper is starting to mellow him out though."

 

"Agree to disagree."

 

They both dissolved into giggles as they discussed what Jason would look like with long hair and flowing robes.

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

 

 

At dinner that night, Will and Nico both, as well as Lou Ellen, got volunteered rather unceremoniously to judge the next day's kayak races.

 

Blame Piper McLean for that. "You know," Will said to Kayla, who sat next to him at their table, "if it were anyone else, Chiron would have said 'the one who volunteers others, instead volunteers themself.'"

 

"Yep!" She slapped him on the shoulder. "But it's Piper and she's scary. You'll be fine. You know, though," she said with a thoughtful smirk. "With Piper, there's usually some kind of ulterior motive. And with Aphrodite's kids, that motive is usually romantic."

 

Will choked on his orange juice, drawing concerned looks from his siblings. He waved them off.

 

When he finally regained some composure, he wheezed, "What are you talking about?"

 

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. They're always up to something."

 

"Kayla!"

 

"What? I'm not saying their ulterior motives are bad. And they've gotten a lot less interfering with Piper in charge."

 

Will looked over at Piper to see her looking wistfully towards the sky. He hadn't thought much about the talk he'd had with her. (And by 'talk,' of course, he meant when she told him that she knew about his crush on Nico while he gaped at her like a fish.) She'd said she wouldn't tell anyone, and he believed that she hadn't, truly.

 

And she hadn't actually said 'Will and Nico' when she'd volunteered them. Her words were, 'I think it should be head councilors Like maybe, Hecate, Apollo, and...Hades?' That wasn't obvious. Was it? He certainly hadn't seen it.

 

So, there they were, Will, Lou Ellen, and Nico, early the next morning, setting up the judges table with the help of Cecil. Cecil had volunteered himself as the runner for the judges. They watched as the team's selected five boats each, tying colored cloths to the prows.

 

He could see, or rather hear, Annabeth and Clarisse shouting orders to their siblings- he didn't know who's idea it was too put the children of two war gods on the same team, but he didn't need the gift of foresight to sense disaster in their future. (And many, many injuries.) The Aphrodite cabin also joined them, covered in immaculately applied war paint for good measure, making them appear even more formidable. They had aptly named their team the "Warriors."

 

Percy (who had a standing agreement to play fair in all water related activities) and Jason (who had a similar agreement) were heading up the "Destroyers" - clearly a play on the "Warriors", though they denied it - which also included the Hecate, Dionysus, and Demeter kids.

 

Kayla and the Stolls were leading their siblings, the two largest cabins. They'd affectionately called themselves "Fast and Loose" after their parents, though all of the older kids pretended not to get the joke around the younger ones.

 

And Laurel and Holly from Nike led everyone else by themselves (James from Hephaestus was supposed to be helping them, but stopped bothering trying to interrupt Laurel twenty minutes ago). Laurel had single-handedly come up with the title "Champions." Go figure.

 

Nico perched himself cross-legged on the table as soon as it was upright while the others finished placing the chairs and setting out pens. "So, who do you think will win?" he asked them.

 

"Uh," Lou Ellen responded with a laugh. "With Piper, Clarisse, and Annabeth leading a team? Who do you think?"

 

Will snorted. "No kidding. Maybe Percy if he cheats."

 

"She'd kill him."

 

"Exactly," Will said.

 

Cecil and Lou Ellen wandered off to get the scorecards and Will sat next to Nico, scooting closer than he needed to in the summer heat.

 

"Have you thought anymore about Apollo?" Nico asked, quietly. "You said he's been kicked out of Olympus before?"

 

"Yeah, um," Will glanced up toward the sun. "Twice. Stripped of some of his powers and made to serve. But I don't know. This seems bigger than that, you know."

 

"Yeah, maybe." Nico grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry," he said, "that was bad timing."

 

"No, I... I hadn't really thought that much about him until the other day at the meeting. I've just been..."

 

"Preoccupied?"

 

"Yeah." Will tried for a smile, but it came out as a grimace. "With... everything, you know. Lot on my mind."

 

"Yeah. I get it." Nico bumped their shoulders together. "Hey, can we... Can we...talk? After this?"

 

Will looked at him. He seemed apprehensive, twisting the skull ring on his finger. "About what?" Will asked. "Is something wrong?"

 

"What? No," he answered with a shake of his head. "Nothing's wrong, I just..." He puffed up his cheeks nervously and slowly let the air out, not looking at Will. "It's nothing, you don't-"

 

"No, hey," Will tried for an excited grin, though he couldn't help but feel the tension in Nico's posture. "We can talk. Tell you what? I'll even let you do _most_ if the talking."

 

Nico rolled his eyes. "Gods, you're so annoying."

 

"You love it."

 

Nico smiled.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

No surprise, the Warriors won. Fast and Loose made a valiant effort and came in second, followed by the Champions, with the Destroyers disqualified in the last lap. They were losing anyway.

 

After the ceremony, which went about as well as could be imagined, Will got separated from Nico to go and celebrate with his siblings. It hadn't been on purpose on his part. He had gone up to them to give his congrats and when he'd turned around again, Nico was gone. Will thought that maybe Jason and Percy had something to do with it, given their previous attempts at trying to claim their Big Three status as a reason why they should all be besties.

 

He continued to look for Nico, but eventually, nearly everyone had left the lake shore, and he was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, Will went to lunch with his siblings. Nico was there, sitting at table 1 with Percy and Jason. He smiled shyly at Will, but dropped his eyes to the table too quickly.

 

He looked ... Will didn't know. Rueful, maybe. Dispirited? All Will knew was that he didn't like it.

 

So, as he ate, he kept his eyes on the boy, barely even paying attention to his siblings, and when he saw Nico stand to leave early, he stood as well and followed the son of Hades away from the pavilion.

 

"Nico! Hey!" He called, jogging to catch up.

 

Nico gave a pained sort of smile. "Hey," was all he said, though he didn't make a move to leave.

 

"You, um..." Will swallowed past a sudden scratchiness in his throat. "You said you wanted to talk? After the race?"

 

Nico was twisting his ring again nervously. "Yeah... Do you wanna...go to my cabin?"

 

Will nodded and followed him to the dark structure. When they entered, Nico gestured that he should take one of the free bunks. He kept his eyes cast down as he took off his sneakers.

 

Will sighed. "Seriously, you're freaking me out, Neeks. Just tell me."

 

Nico rolled his eyes, but he smiled and it was genuine this time. "Don't rush me, noob."

 

Will had no idea what he meant by that, but kept his mouth shut.

 

Finally, Nico began. "Look," he said, "this is super embarrassing and possibly a huge mistake, because I really do value our friendship and don't want to ruin if I'm wrong, but..." He stopped talking and chewed the inside of his lips.

 

Will blinked. He understood the words that Nico said, but couldn't seen to grasp their deeper meaning. "...what-"

 

"I like you, okay?" He burst out in a hurry, eyes still down and face turning beet red. "I've just... I'm trying my best to be honest with myself and to not hide things from the people that I care about, and... Well, you're one of them."

 

"Um," was all Will managed for a few seconds. Was he hearing this right. Nico actually _liked_ him? Of course, it was exactly what Will had been wanting these past few weeks - and even longer, if he was honest with himself - but actually hearing him say it? He really liked him?

 

Nico glanced up, embarrassment tightening his features into something unwelcome on his face. Slowly, Will came to his senses.

 

"Really?" he asked. "You do?"

 

Nico swallowed dryly. "Yep," he said with a grimace. "I do."

 

A smile began to erupt from Will, unbidden by any conscious thought, and he found himself grinning widely, teeth showing and everything.

 

Nico's face went from nervous to confused to a dawning wonder. "You're an idiot," he muttered, though he smirked as he said it.

 

"I'm your idiot."

 

They both laughed.

 

"I like you too," Will said after.

 

They spent the afternoon in Nico's cabin, seeing as neither of them had any place to be. They mostly talked, about anything that came to their minds, really. Will asked him about the quest to defeat Gaea, how Nico had felt about being forced to keep secrets from everyone when he was at Camp Jupiter. Nico asked him what it felt like to heal someone with words alone, and how he dealt with having so many younger brothers and sisters looking up to him for answers when Will had none to give. They spoke of Apollo and wondered what they could do. And then their conversation led to simpler things like what their favorite colors were (Will's was green and Nico's was purple) and what Will thought of mortal high school.

 

They both jumped in surprise as the signal for dinner sounded. Had they really been there that long. Will stood on stiff limbs, having been sitting down in the same spot for so many hours, but Nico stayed put.

 

"What is it?" Will asked.

 

Nico hesitated, but then looked up at Will. "What do you think of all this?" he asked him. "You and me?"

 

Will smiled and shrugged. "I think it'll work."

 

Nico chuckled. "You do, huh? Like, the two of us... Together?"

 

"Yeah," Will could barely contain his giddiness. Of all the revelations Will had expected from Nico, this was just about the best thing he could think of. "Together."

 

Nico stood. He was only about four inches shorter than Will, and still skinny as ever, and Will couldn't help but notice just how close they were to each other.

 

"We, uh..." Nico began, but stopped to swallow nervously. "We don't have to tell anyone, if you don't want to... I mean, we could just keep this between ourselves if you're not ready. I'm okay with that."

 

Will felt like he had been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. Was he ready for this? Was he ready for people to know? Every fear he'd ever had about coming out popped up and started vying for attention all at once, telling him how people would look at him differently and that his parents could find out and that some of his younger siblings might not understand. It would be such a big deal for some people, whether they were supportive of him or not.

 

Thoughts swirled in his head, poking at his brain, but then Will looked Nico in the eyes. He was so understanding. He'd gone through many of the same things Will had in realizing who he truly was and was dead set and willing to do whatever he could to make Will the most comfortable.

 

But was that what either of them really wanted?

 

"No," he said, surprising himself. "I mean, maybe let's just not tell people, but not hide it though. You know what I mean? They can figure it out."

 

With a shy smile, Nico held out a hand. Will took it, lacing their fingers together and letting it fall between them. "You hungry?" Will asked.

 

"Like you have no idea," Nico said and proceeded to drag Will out the doors and right up to table 13, where Will sat resolutely under Chiron's ever chiding glare. Will decided right then and there that the rules weren't worth following in this particular instance, no matter what the old centaur thought.

 

When a young Aphrodite girl approached them after the meal and asked if they were dating, Nico just said, "Yup," and threw her the devil horns with his fingers. He and Will then walked away, still holding hands, and that was pretty much all there was to it.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

There were a few congratulations from their closest friends, and a lot of support and many hugs from Will's siblings, though most of the rest of camp gave little notice. Lou Ellen and Cecil approached him together and Will got a very heartfelt punch in the chest from Lou Ellen, who called him an idiot and said that she'd known for a while. Cecil hugged him and whispered, "No homo," into his ear. Will laughed so hard he almost cracked a rib.

 

"I hate you both," he told them.

 

All he got from Percy were finger guns and a "Finally, the tension was killing me." This sent Will into a downward spiral of embarrassment, though he recovered quickly when he watched Percy go on to shout, "Sneak attack!" and try to tackle Nico with a hug. Nico, having seen him coming, shadow traveled a few feet to the left and let Percy crash to the ground.

 

Annabeth and Piper ambushed the both of them while they were getting ready for the beginning sword fighting class. Annabeth told him that she was proud of him and Piper wrangled Will and Nico into a group hug. It was weird and annoying, being squashed against the other three, but then when Piper caught his eye with a knowing grin, he couldn't help but smile back.

 

Jason didn't really say anything, but instead invited them to his table as a pair instead of just Nico alone, and made about the biggest show of not making a show that Will had ever born witness to in his fifteen years. Not to say that Will wasn't grateful for his acceptance.

 

All in all, a week later, it was old news. Or so he thought.

 

Will came out of the infirmary doors, intent on finding whatever food was available and stuffing it straight down his throat asap. "See you at the campfire, Braden! Bye Kayla!" He called over his shoulder. It wasn't that he had done a lot of healing that day, but he hadn't had much time for a break. What time he'd had, he didn't filing out requisition forms for resupply.

 

He started off toward the pavilion, but was stopped in his tracks at the sound of his name being spoken quietly, though he couldn't make out the rest of the words. It took him a second to realize that he wasn't being spoken to, but rather being spoken about.

 

He followed the voices around the Big House and saw none other than Drew and one of her brothers sitting on the rail surrounding the porch. They were facing away from him. Will remained hidden behind one of the bushes near the porch, attempting to look casual in case of passers by.

 

"...doesn't know what he wants," Drew's brother was saying. Will couldn't remember his name. Kyle, maybe?

 

"Yep," Drew replied. "He's having a crisis and di Angelo is just getting his kicks in while he can. I'd do the same thing though. With a body like Solace has, I'd let him do anything he wanted to me."

 

Will felt the skin on the back of his neck heat up in embarrassment and revulsion as Drew continued.

 

"Legs go on for miles, and that chest! I'd like to run my hands all the way down to - "

 

"Cool down there," said Kyle with a laugh, stopping her mid-sentence.

 

Thank the gods, because just those few words made Will feel like he wanted to throw up. Unwilling to hear anymore, he turned around and walked the other way, forgoing the pavilion and attempting to block out all noise. He suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

 

Will made his way back to his empty cabin, finding all of his siblings currently either in class or off enjoying themselves somewhere else. He stood in the middle of the bunk room, panting as if he'd just run ten miles without stopping. He hadn't heard much of their conversation, but just the thought of seeing either one of them again and knowing what they were saying behind his back...

 

Will gulped down air and decided that maybe a shower might be his best bet for forgetting what had just happened. But as soon as he shut the bathroom door and got his shirt over his head, he stopped as he caught sight if his reflection, arms still caught in the fabric. Was this all that Drew saw when she looked at him?

 

Shaking his head, he turned away from the mirror and turned on the water.

 

When he was done, he wrapped a towel around his waist and went back to the dimly lit bunk room. He felt a little better, physically, but Drew's words stayed on his mind.

 

He thought about leaving to find someone, Nico preferably, but then he considered the fact that he might see Drew out there, or he might hear someone else saying something, or see someone looking at him weird.

 

He felt like an idiot, being so embarrassed. If it were anyone else he knew, they would just walk out there and not give a crap what everyone else thought, but it was his worst fears coming true. He'd worried so much about coming out because of this kind of thing exactly: people _talking_ about him behind his back and thinking thoughts and _judging_. And her thinking that Nico was just using him because he was having a "crisis" made him want to just curl up and die. They hadn't even kissed yet. What did she even know?

 

With a sigh, Will just did what felt easiest. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and large hoodie, then got in his bed and pulled the covers all the way up to his nose, making a feeble effort to hide away from the world.

 

He stayed there until Nico finally found him, hours later.

 

"Will?" Nico's voice sounded through Will's restless sleep. He opened his eyes to find the same sight he'd glimpsed what felt like only moments before when he'd closed them. It was the boys bunk room, empty and lit only by the afternoon sunlight, sifting in through the multicolor shaded windows.

 

Nico's voice had come from the main room, and his footsteps could be heard approaching the closed door to where he was. Will considered pretending to be asleep and hoping that Nico would just go away, but he stopped that thought in it's tracks. _Now you're just being ridiculous._

 

"I'm here," Will called, but quietly. Nico's footsteps paused a moment before he opened the door.

 

As soon as he saw Will, a look of concern shot across his face. "Hey," he said softly, approaching the bed. "You okay? Nobody's seen you since you left the infirmary."

 

Will just shrugged under the blanket, feeling increasingly embarrassed by his antics. "Yeah."

 

Nico looked hard at him. "No. You're not," he decided. He knelt down in front of Will's bed, getting down to eye level. "Tell me."

 

Will, trying his best to avoid eye contact but falling miserably, simply said, "It's nothing."

 

"Will." Nico laid a gentle hand on his arm. Will let him, but warily. Hands. Drew's hands, running down... He was being an idiot. Nico hadn't said anything about him. "You can talk to me."

 

Nico's hand was warm. Will tried to ignore it. "It was... Nothing. It was nothing. Just when I left earlier, I heard something I probably shouldn't have. But I'm being stupid. I shouldn't be letting it affect me."

 

"You're not stupid, Will. I mean it." Nico's voice was kind, and he gave Will the most encouraging smile that had probably ever graced his face. "What did you hear?"

 

"Just... Drew and Kyle. I heard them talking about me" Will began, watching Nico struggling to remain impassive, though he could see the anger and empathy fighting for dominance behind his eyes.

 

"What were they saying? You know, so I can kill them later."

 

Will wanted to laugh, but found that he couldn't. He kept picturing her doing to him what she said she'd wanted to do, and it made him feel sick.

 

"That I was having a...'crisis.' Like me coming out as gay is just a phase or something, or that I didn't really mean it. And that you were just getting your kicks while you could. And then," he paused, unwilling to repeat her words. Resolving his nerve, he continued. "And she said what she would like to do to me if she could. And I just-" he stopped, lost for what to say next.

 

The anger was obvious now in Nico's dark eyes. He squeezed Will's shoulder. "I'll be right back," he said, making to stand.

 

Heart leaping into his throat, Will reached out and grabbed Nico's wrist, stopping him in his tracks. "No, don't!" he implored, blanket falling from his shoulders.

 

He stopped mid-step, facing toward the door, fists balled up and shaking with rage.

 

"Don't, please," Will pleaded. "I don't want them to know that I heard them. It was - it was stupid. I shouldn't have eavesdropped."

 

Nico remained frozen for a moment, but then took a deep breath and turned back to Will. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Will sat up, crossing his legs.

 

"I'm sorry," Will said. "It shouldn't be that big of a deal. It's just...what she said. It was so..." He was unable to finish the thought, and Nico didn't ask him to.

 

"Don't apologize. She's the one being a little-" He stopped himself with another calming breath and slowly and carefully reached out to take Will's hand. Will watched this and had to remind himself that it was just Nico, and that he would never do anything Will didn't want him to. And now that he thought about it, he really really wanted Nico to be near him right now.

 

He wrapped both of his hands around Nico's, feeling the warmth.

 

Nico waited until Will looked up into his eyes. "Don't blame yourself because of what others think. It's them, not you."

 

Will swallowed. "I know, it's just..."

 

Nico nodded. "I know."

 

"It's no one's business," he said, annoyed at the hot tears suddenly forming in his eyes. He swiped angrily at them and sucked in a shaky breath. Nico averted his gaze. "She doesn't know anything about me. I haven't changed. I'm still me!"

 

"Yes, you are," Nico said, eyes on the bed between them. "And _you_ know that, and so do I. And it's...okay that this bothers you. It would bother anybody. It's - it's fine. I'm sorry," he sighed exasperatedly. "I suck at things like this."

 

Will huffed out a laugh through his nose and Nico looked up at him, eyes squinting in puzzlement. "Yeah, you're a lot better at punching and stabbing than you are at dealing with an over-emotional boyfriend."

 

Nico grinned when he said 'boyfriend.' "Yeah, I suppose you're right." He held out his arms wide. "Now, come on. I know you want a hug."

 

Will let his left leg fall to the floor as he leaned forward and sank gratefully into Nico's arms. They remained that way for a few moments, Will soaking in as much as he could. Nico smelled like that awful shampoo that the camp provided them, and the collar of his black shirt scuffed against Will's nose. The other boy rubbed a hand up and down Will's back as he sniffled into his neck. He felt ridiculous, crying in his arms like a child, but he figured that Nico cared enough about him to not mention it.

 

After a few moments, Will reached around Nico's back and wiped the rest of the moisture from his face. He leaned back

 

"Better?" Nico asked, head tilting in concern and eyes glittering.

 

Will nodded, and without stopping to consider what he was doing, laid a hand on Nico's cheek. "You're so beautiful," he said, pushing his fingers into the soft hair at his temple.

 

Nico rolled his eyes. "Whatever, nerd."

 

"I said what I meant."

 

Then Will did something truly ridiculous, shifting forward and pressing his lips to Nico's. It was a quick kiss, and it only lasted for a second before he pulled away, heart pounding.

 

Nico swallowed and blinked, but quickly recovered himself, the corners of his mouth turning upward in a gentle smile. He pulled Will forward by the back of his neck and kissed him again, longer this time, before wrapping him up in another hug.

 

Will melted into the embrace, burying his face and reveling in the quiet closeness between them.

 

"You can always talk to me, okay?" Nico murmured into his ear. "About anything at all."

 

Will nodded, eyes filing again. Nico squeezed him tighter.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

At breakfast the next day, Percy and Jason had come and sat on either side of Will and Nico and insisted that they needed to have a Big Three sparring session. The idea seemed so ridiculous that Will had actually laughed out loud.

 

Percy and Jason looked at each other, then back at him, confused. "What?" they asked him. Even Nico seemed unsure.

 

"Um, what do you mean, 'what?'" Will said, concerned that they didn't seen to understand. "Aren't you worried at all about completely destroying the arena? Causing an ecological disaster? If nothing else, one of you will surely get hurt, and who's going to have to take care of you? Hmm? Me, that's who."

 

"Are you saying no?" Nico asked, a sudden defiance in his eyes.

 

" _Et tu_ , Nico? Are you questioning my sound medical advice?"

 

"Oh, please," Jason begged, cutting in from Will's side. He looked imploringly at Percy, on Nico's side, for help. Percy widened his eyes in a rather good impression of Puss in Boots. "We promise not to go overboard."

 

"I'll believe that when I see it."

 

"Scouts honor," Percy said, holding up two fingers in a peace sign. Nico reached for his hand and changed them to three fingers held straight, though he rolled his eyes as he did so.

 

He turned to Nico, but found no help there. "You realize that you're only agreeing with them because I'm saying no, right?"

 

Nico shrugged, but smirked.

 

Which was how he found himself later that afternoon, sitting in the stands of the arena with half of the Apollo cabin, Cecil, and Lou Ellen all piled together in the first row, snacks and first aid supplies at the ready. What began as a proposed sparring session, became somewhat of a showdown, where only one would come out the champion.

 

Annabeth Piper were there too, sitting together, along with a smattering of the rest of the camp. They sat scattered around in packs, talking animatedly about who would win. Smart money was on Percy, but Will was pretty sure Nico had a pretty fair shot.

 

He was glad not to see Drew or Kyle in attendance. He didn't know what he would even do if he had to see them right now.

 

Then Damien, son of Nemesis, stood up in front of everyone and said, "To the victor, goes the spoils!" He pointed to a pile of stuff and assorted food that looked as if it had come from the camp shop. Will vaguely wondered how they'd gotten it all, considering that this fight wasn't exactly sanctioned, but then he saw a few Hermes kids giggling and decided that he didn't really want to know.

 

Nico, Percy, and Jason each stood at a separate edge of the arena, weapons drawn, with looks of determination on their faces. Will almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity. Nico was the only one of the Three not wearing any armor, just a plain black t-shirt and jeans, his void-black sword held tightly in one hand.

 

Damien threw a spear into the center of the arena, and Nico, Percy, and Jason all ran forward, screaming.

 

Jason took off from the ground, raising himself on the wind, attempting to dive bomb at Nico, but he missed when Nico disappeared into the shadow of the stands, reappearing behind Percy and swinging with his sword. Percy turned and blocked at the last second. He took at swing with his fist, but Nico ducked and backed off.

 

Jason made another go at dive bombing, but Percy tackled him out of the air.

 

The crowd was loving it. Gasping and making "ooh" sounds at all the right moments. Will couldn't help but laugh when Nico raised bones from the ground, forming a cage around the grappling Jason and Percy, but they managed to break out of it. They both ran at Nico, but he shadow traveled away and the two ran into the wall.

 

Percy was pulling liquid from the earth when Cecil poked Will in the side.

 

"You know," he murmured so no one else would hear, "I really am proud of you for coming out. It must have taken a lot of guts."

 

Will felt himself blush. "Thanks." Will shifted his 6-year-old sister Sara on his knees to be more comfortable. "I mean," he said, "I think it was time. I just-"

 

A loud boom and a flash made Will and everyone else flinch. He looked toward the fight to see a charred patch of ground between Percy and Nico, who looked as if they'd been blasted back.

 

They both stood and turned their combined powers on Jason. Percy had been slowly drawing water from the canoe lake and sent it in a wave toward Jason. Nico raised skeletons from the ground, who grabbed shields, using them as surf boards. Jason was tackled out of the air by the skeletons, barely saving himself from crashing hard to the ground by harnessing the winds.

 

Will sighed in exasperation. Someone was going to get hurt for sure.

 

Cecil laughed, pointing at Will. "Man, your face is hilarious right now."

 

Will cracked a smile. "Just waiting for the inevitable. My earlier threats don't seem to be working."

 

"Oh, I can't even watch this," said his sister Blake, covering her eyes with dark fingers, her bright yellow nails sticking out almost obnoxiously. She looked at Will over Braden's mop of blonde hair. "Why would Nico agree to this? I thought your boyfriend was the smart one out of the three of them?"

 

"Well apparently, he's also very defiant. And stubborn."

 

"And cute, and adorable," said Lou Ellen from a couple of rows in front of them, looking up at him with a cheeky from. "And sweet, and -"

 

Will pretended to try and kick her, though she was clearly too far away, causing Sara to giggle like crazy. He could feel his face heating up, he was definitely fully red now.

 

On the field, Percy let out a battle cry and dove for Nico's legs, catching him off guard and forcing him to the ground. Nico extracated himself by punching Percy in the face. The crowd cheered.

 

"Animals," Blake whispered.

 

The fight didn't end, so much as slow to a crawl. Nico, Jason, and Percy had all used their powers so much that they were too exhausted to continue, collapsing onto each other, slapping at hands and kicking weakly.

 

Will, Annabeth, and Piper drug their respective boyfriends off the field, all rolling their eyes at each other.

 

"But who won?" Percy could be heard muttering as Annabeth pulled his arm over her shoulder.

 

Jason poked himself in the eye with shaking hands when Piper handed him his glasses back, causing him to shout and her to laugh.

 

Nico was practically falling asleep as he walked. "What are your orders, doctor?" he asked.

 

Will waved off Blake when she came up with an offer to help. He continued to lead him over to the refreshments. "Gatorade. Rest."

 

"I hate Gatorade. It doesn't even taste like anything."

 

"Deal with it."

 

"We're you 'mpressed?" Nico asked as he flumped down on a bench and Will handed him a bottle. He began to chug.

 

"Oh yes," Will replied with a grin. "Very brave the way you made Jason slow dance with that skeleton."

 

Nico chuckled. "People liked it." His eyes were closing of their own accord now, Will worried that they wouldn't make it back to the cabin before he passed out.

 

"Come on, you dork. Don't make me carry you," he said sternly.

 

"I'd like to see you try."

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

 

 

It was mid-morning and Will had just gotten off the night shift at the infirmary. As usual, however, he was having trouble sleeping off-schedule. Nico walked in to find Will with a book open on his lap, leaning back against the headboard.

 

"Morning, sunshine," Nico said brightly. He stood next to him and looked at the book. "What are you reading?"

 

"Annabelle Lee, it's one of my favorites. It's by-"

 

"I know who it's by. I've read Edgar Allen Poe before."

 

"You know, suddenly everything about you makes sense."

 

"Ha ha. So, what is it? Greek mythology doesn't have enough tragic poetry for you?"

 

Will shrugged and looked up, noticing the dark circles under Nico's eyes. It bothered him, but he remained silent.

 

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Nico asked him, as if he already knew the answer.

 

Will smirked. "If I'm supposed to be sleeping, then what are you doing here bothering me?"

 

"Because I knew you'd still be awake and I was bored." Will was pretty sure that there was more to it, but decided to let it slide, for now. "But still though," he said, indicating the book, "don't you have trouble reading it?"

 

"Yes, even Apollo's kids have dyslexia." It had always seemed rather unfair to him. "But I still enjoy it. Actually, my mom used to read me poetry all the time, so I've memorized a lot of stuff just by listening to her. But then my step-dad decided I was getting too old for it and she stopped."

 

Nico scrunched his eyebrows in consternation, but Will shrugged and continued. "He just doesn't understand it. The most poetic he ever gets is when he's listening to Garth Brooks."

 

"How does a son of the god of poetry have such a dense, uncultured step-parent?"

 

"Beats me."

 

Nico huffed a laugh and folded himself on the bed next to Will. He slipped his fingers under the book and pulled it gently from Will's grasp, inspecting it closely. "So, why this one?"

 

Will thought back. "I used to pretend I was the protagonist of the poem, and I imagined what it would be like to be loved so much and to love so deeply that even the angels wanted what we had. And then I thought of how I would feel when she got taken away and died. It used to make me really sad."

 

He almost expected Nico to comment on the fact that Annabel Lee was clearly a chick, but he just nodded thoughtfully. "I get it," he said.

 

"You don't think that's weird?"

 

"No." Nico laid his head on Will's shoulder and yawned. "It'd be weird if it didn't make you sad."

 

Sighing, Will wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders. "Did you sleep last night?"

 

He made a movement like a shrug and snuggled into Will's side.

 

"I'll take that as a no." Will closed the book for him and dropped it on the floor with a thud. He then maneuvered them both down so that they were curled together, faces inches from one another on the pillow.

 

Nico sighed contentedly, eyes closed.

 

"Nightmares again?" Will asked. He nodded, so Will ran a hand through his hair and kissed his forehead. "What happened?"

 

He shrugged again.

 

"Tell me."

 

Nico opened his dark eyes, anguish shining through his forced calm. "I-" he swallowed and clutched Will's shirt between his fingers. "Everyone was dead. It was after the war and everyone... And you-" His voice broke, eyes locked onto Will's in desperation. "Why won't it ever stop?"

 

Will didn't need to hear anymore and he didn't think that Nico could tell him anyway. He pulled Nico's head into his chest and listened to him breathe like he was trying not to cry.

 

"It's okay," Will said into his hair. "I'm here."

 

Nico nodded silently, his breaths hot against Will's chest. In a rough voice, he asked, "Will you read it to me?"

 

Will smiled and began to speak, leaving the book on the floor for he knew the poem by heart.

 

Nico stayed quiet, listening, and eventually his breathing evened out as he drifted into sleep.

 

Will woke hours later, to tufts of hair tickling his chin and the feel of Nico's arms warped around his torso. He kept his eyes firmly closed, willing the world to remain perfect for just a little longer. His heart continued its recent habit of leaping for joy every time he was anywhere near his small, Italian bundle of darkness.

 

Nico shifted his knees against Will's thigh and sighed quietly as he dreamt. Hopefully it was a good dream this time, he needed it. It bothered Will that there was nothing he could ever say to ease his past. From Bianca to Percy, to the titan war, and even Octavian and Bryce Lawrence, whom he had turned into a ghost, there was so much pain and anger and guilt in his life. Will didn't know the first thing that he could even try.

 

But then again, Nico had sought him out, and here he was sleeping in his bed. Maybe just being there was it. And maybe not breaking Nico's heart was a good first move. Just the thought of being someone to cause this sweet boy any kind of turmoil made his whole body want to combust.

 

Will lay there a little while longer until Nico broke the silence with a gasp.

 

"No!" he cried, twisting around, trying to break free of something unseen.

 

"Nico!" Will sat up, attempting to grasp at his shoulders, but Nico threw him off easily, tossing himself to the floor and trying to get away. It was so similar to what had happened those first nights in the infirmary, and Will was just as unprepared as he had been back then. All he knew was that it would be over in less than a minute, as night terrors usually were, but that didn't stop the white hot ball of a million emotions from exploding in his chest.

 

He knelt next to Nico, who was stiff as a board, eyes wide and staring at nothing, muttering what sounded like, "...ple-ease, please..."

 

"Hey, it's okay, just wake up," Will pleaded, gripping Nico's arm. "It's okay, I'm here with you. Please, it's not real."

 

After a moment, his body eased from the tension and he dissolved into a trembling mess. He focused in on Will's face.

 

His eyes filled and spilled over, face crumbling into despair. He reached wordlessly up, and Will gathered him up and held him close.

 

Nico wept unashamedly in Will's arms, and Will couldn't help but imagine this happening every night, Nico unable to call for help because he was alone in his cabin.

 

Gods, why was this happening? It wasn't like they were prophetic dreams like demigods were used to having, but rather just one more horror that Nico was forced to endure for no reason at all.

 

He didn't deserve to suffer like that.

 

Will swallowed past the lump in his throat, his face wet, and slumped back against his bed frame. Nico gripped Will tightly, like he was afraid Will would be taken away just like all the others he'd ever cared about, and Will imagined again what it would be like to lose someone he loved. Of course he'd loved his brother Michael, and Lee, and losing them was one of the worst times of his life. But Nico...if Will ever had an Annabel Lee for real, he thought that, given time, Nico could just be it. And though the thought terrified him, it strengthened him all the same.

 

And if Nico felt the same way... Will promised himself then and there on the cabin floor that he would never leave Nico. He would never be the cause for his tears. He would do anything he could to keep him safe and happy.

 

And gods forbid, if Will ever failed his task and Nico passed into shadow in whatever glorious fashion the fates had in mind, may Will be struck down where he stood, because there was no way in Hades that he wasn't going with him wherever.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

"Come on! A horror movie?!" Will exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air at the edge of the training arena, empty save for a few Ares kids that pretty much never left. It was a couple of days later on a Saturday and they were arguing good-naturedly (mostly) about where they planned to go on their day pass to the city. "Can't we just go and see a nice quiet movie where boy meets girl, they have problems which aren't too weird, they fall in love and live happily ever after?" Will asked.

 

Nico rolled his eyes. "Now, why would you want to see a lot of unhealthy stuff like that?"

 

"I don't know. Maybe I'd like to go to a movie where I don't get want to throw up or run out of the theater screaming."

 

Nico cackled at him. "All right, all right," he held his hands out in surrender. "I'll make you a deal. You watch this one with me, and we can sneak out of camp some other time and I'll take you to one of those happily-ever-after clambakes. Deal?"

 

Will shrugged. "I guess."

 

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Where's the thing playing?"

 

"Oh, who knows," Will said, flopping dramatically down onto a nearby bench. "Maybe they don't even make movies like that anymore."

 

"Well sure," Nico said. "And you wanna know why? Because people don't want be depressed by all that slop."

 

Will made a face like what he imagined a very said dog would make, but Nico covered it with his palm and pushed him away.

 

"Will!" came a frail voice from far off. His head shot up instantly, looking around for the trouble, it had sounded like a young girl. He knew from experience that when someone called his name like that, there was usually something wrong.

 

They both ran over to see that it was one of the girls in their class, Abby Patel, child of Aphrodite, all of about eight years old, and her face was red from crying.

 

"What's wrong?" Nico asked her, falling to his knees in front of her. "Are you okay?"

 

She nodded, but then pointed toward the big house and the infirmary. "It's Donna, she hurt her foot."

 

Nico glanced up at Will. "I'll stay with her," he said. "You go and make sure Donna is all right."

 

Will nodded, jogging off toward the infirmary. He knew that his siblings Austin and Blake were on duty right now and that they could easily handle it, but, well, Abby was clearly worried and maybe she just knew him better than the other Apollo kids. And she had probably been scared to death to see her friend in pain, which was why she sought him out.

 

But why was she by herself was the question of the hour.

 

He risked a glance back at them to see Nico pulling Abby forward and holding her while she cried. His heart panged for the sight.

 

Will arrived to find everything in hand. Austin was singing over Donna and Blake was giving her ambrosia. She wasn't crying anymore, but looked as if she had been. Austin looked up at him in question and Will responded with, "Abby was worried about her friend," he said, indicating Donna when Austin looked confused.

 

Austin nodded and continued singing. He was easily the best singer in their cabin, his best attribute from Apollo being music, just like Will's was medicine, though they all were reasonably good at everything that their father represented. Except for Will, of course, who was a pretty terrible singer, and not really that great of an archer.

 

"Where is she?" Blake asked, pushing her bushy hair from her face. "She was supposed to stay with her sister."

 

"She's with Nico outside. She came to find me, but she was alone." His eyes narrowed. "Which sister?"

 

"Drew. She was standing nearby so when we brought Donna back here, I told Drew to watch her."

 

Will felt something like anger begin to roll in his gut, but he held it back, wary of little Donna who was watching him with big eyes. He made sure his face was steady. "Can I talk to you over there?" he asked Blake.

 

She nodded, eyes widening slightly as she understood. "What happened? Where was Drew?"

 

"I don't know. Abby didn't mention anything about her, but she looked pretty upset."

 

Blake huffed angrily. "If I thought..." She paused thoughtfully. "Well, I mean it _is_ possible that Abby just ran off."

 

He sighed. Honestly, he hadn't really considered that everything _wasn't_ Drew's fault, but he supposed that she deserved the benefit of the doubt. "I'll go ask," he said and walked out the door.

 

So much for the day pass.

 

Nico stood near the door with Abby's hand held firmly in his, and they appeared to be waiting for him.

 

"Hey, kiddo," Will greeted her, dropping to one knee in the grass and grinning up at her. "Donna's doing just fine, okay? Austin and Blake are looking after her."

 

She leaned into Nico's side and glanced up at the infirmary doors, eyes still a little red. "Can I go in there?"

 

"Hmm, you know, they're still treating her. How about we go take a walk and then when we come back they should be all done. Does that sound good?"

 

"Okay," she nodded and reached out with her free hand to take Will's.

 

He caught Nico's smirk as he stood.

 

They walked toward the cabins, Will looking around for Piper, Abby's other, cooler big sister and Head Councilor She must've been around somewhere. "So, Abby?" Will said. "Can I ask you what happened to Donna's ankle?"

 

"We were just playing."

 

"Where?" Nico asked, looking down at her.

 

She glanced nervously up at him. "By the forest. We weren't that close to it!" She exclaimed, glancing back and forth between the two of them. "I know we're not supposed to go in without Piper's permission."

 

"Um hmm," Will affirmed. "What next?"

 

"She...She just tripped. I was chasing her and she tripped and then started crying. Robby went and got Blake and she took her with her to the infirmary."

 

Will nodded. "What did Blake say to you? Did she tell you to wait with someone?"

 

She shirked his gaze, instead looking down at the ground. Nico caught his eye, curious what he was getting at.

 

Will stopped walking, kneeling down again. "Abby, listen, you're not in trouble. You were scared and you came and found me and Nico, and that was very, very smart. I just need to know who was supposed to be watching you, all right?"

 

She still tried to avoid eye contact, but Will waited patiently for her to answer. "Blake told Drew to look after me and that she would come get me when she was done. But Drew just told me to go to the cabin and wait and then she went to go talk to someone else. I just wanted to be with Donna though, so I didn't go to the cabin. And then I...I got scared, and then I saw you. And you said, if you need help, you find someone older and stay there." She said the last part work such authority that Will had to try very hard not to smile.

 

"She sounds just like you, Will." Nico said, laughing openly.

 

"Shut up," Will scolded, but with a smile. He looked back at Abby, who was smiling, embarrassed. "Come on, I bet Piper's around here somewhere."

 

They found the Head Counsellor of Aphrodite in the porch outside of Cabin 1, hovering over Jason's shoulder from where he stood looking at an old sketchbook. Jason kept turning the book upside down and squinting off toward the end of the cabin cluster.

 

Piper saw them and her eyes lit up. "Hey!" she called out, jarring Jason out of his study and jogging to meet them. She looked down at Abby first. "Hey, little girl. I see you found the cute new couple. Good job!"

 

Will blushed and he saw Nico roll his eyes. Jason came up behind Piper. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

 

"Piper," Will said, keeping the smile on his face "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

 

She tilted her head, but nodded. She looked back to Abby with a big smile, all teeth. "Hey, how 'bout you and Nico go bug Jason for a bit. I think he could use your help with his project."

 

They went off in the other direction, Abby asking a billion questions, while Piper followed him toward the back of the Zeus cabin for some privacy.

 

He told her what Abby had said about Drew and how inappropriately she had behaved. Piper's eyes grew darker and darker, he could see the anger she tried to hold back.

 

"She just left her?"

 

"Yeah. And she was really scared. And maybe Blake should have just taken her with her-"

 

"No, Blake did the right thing, I'm sure Donna was in pain and Blake thought that the best thing for her would to have an older sister comfort her. Too bad Drew is incapable of caring about anyone but herself." She stopped and took a deep breath. "Sorry, that's not Head Counsellor talk." She blew hair out of her face with a 'whew' sound. "Sometimes I wish I was in a cabin by myself, I don't know how to deal with so many siblings."

 

He laughed. "Dude, I have no idea what I'm doing either. Every day I have to ask myself 'what would Michael do' or 'what would Lee do?' And it never gets easier." He almost considered telling her what Drew had been saying about him the week before, but figured that would be too much to deal with, and it wasn't like she could control their private conversations anyway.

 

"No, I get it. But you're right, what she did was inappropriate and I'll talk to Chiron about what I should do."

 

"I think that's for the best."

 

"Okay." She patted him on the arm. "Thanks for the heads up. How is Donna?" she asked as they began walking back around the building.

 

"On the mend. They were still treating her last I saw."

 

"Good, I'm glad. And what about you?"

 

He raised an eyebrow. "What _about_ me?"

 

"You...and Nico." She grinned. "Is it weird being out? I can only imagine it would be."

 

He shrugged. "I don't know. It was weird at first, I guess, but now people have gotten over it and it's...not so strange anymore."

 

"I think Chiron is about ready to launch a campaign against you not sitting at your own table. I think it calls for drastic measures," she stage-whispered, looking around suspiciously.

 

He laughed. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

 

She winked. They found the other three standing in the grass near the Apollo cabin, pointing off into the distance.

 

Will grabbed Abby and Nico and they walked back toward the infirmary.

 

"Donna!" Abby screamed as soon as they walked in the door, scaring the few occupants inside. She ran up to her friend, who was sitting alone on a bed with a barrel of monkeys, and they chattered about what had happened, words almost too quick for Will to comprehend.

 

Will and Nico approached Austin and Blake, near the back by the desk. "Hey," Austin said. "Everything cool."

 

"Yeah," Will said. "I talked to Piper and she's gonna deal with it."

 

"What happened?"

 

"Well, you left, and then Drew just told her to go back the cabin and walked away."

 

Blake still looked worried. "I'm so sorry, Will. If I had any idea-"

 

Nico stepped in, "Don't be." There was a hint of malice in his posture, though Austin and Blake didn't appear fazed by it. "She used to be counselor. She should know better."

 

Will placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. It was tight, and Will knew that he wasn't only thinking about Abby in regards to Drew and what he thought of her, but Will as well. "Hey. Piper has it under control."

 

He nodded.

 

"Hey, you," Blake said, reaching forward and shoving lightly at Will's shoulder. "Get out of here. You're off today. You two shouldn't even be on camp grounds."

 

Will chuckled. "I'm never off."

 

"You are today. We'll watch Abby and take her back to her cabin when she's ready." She poked at Nico this time, but missed when he quickly shifted backward. "Both of you, go."

 

They obliged, stopping first to let Abby know that they were leaving, before heading to Nico's cabin and shadow traveling away to Manhattan.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

Will was on duty in the empty infirmary. He'd spent the morning organizing and filing and... Okay so he pretty much just sat in his favorite chair, staring at the wall and lamenting that he wasn't at swordsmanship class with Nico.

 

It was nearing the end of summer and the kids were much improved from what they had been, sparring skillfully with each other under his and Nico's watchful gazes, proud looks shining on their faces when they received praise. Will had never imagined that he would enjoy teaching something like that, considering that he had never been much of a fighter, but he did. He'd actually learned a lot himself.

 

He slumped down further in the chair, resting his head on the top and staring at the ceiling. If nothing else, he wished that Nico was here right now. Though he'd probably deny it, he was pretty sure that Nico enjoyed helping him in the infirmary, even the menial work.

 

A second before they burst through the door, Will sensed that something was very wrong.

 

He heard shouting approaching, and at first, he didn't think anything of it, but then it got louder and louder and... Was that Kayla? She was shouting orders. "Go find Blake!" Will jumped up as soon as the door opened.

 

Jason Grace was carrying Laurel from Nike, cradled in his arms. He was red-faced and sweaty and looked like he'd just sprinted from wherever they had come from. Kayla and Piper followed him, and behind them he saw two more campers ruining off in different directions from the front of the infirmary.

 

"Kayla, what happened?" Will asked her, running to help them get Laurel onto a bed. Her entire midsection was covered in thick blood, shirt soaked through. He lifted it to see a long gash just under the ribs. It was deep too, possibly even deep enough to puncture the liver.

 

Jason answered for her, as Kayla tore though the supply cabinet. "She was attacked by something in the woods. We heard screaming and I guess she was defending Olive from whatever monster they were fighting."

 

"Which monster?" he asked, packing the wound with gauze. Olive from the Hermes cabin was one of the ones he'd just seen running to find Blake.

 

"I don't know."

 

Kayla was back. "Lift it up." He did so and she splashed dittany onto the wound, causing the bleeding to slow down to a crawl.

 

Will took the gauze away and dropped it into the bin. He grabbed her wrist to check her pulse and then listened to her breathing for any signs of distress. Something was off.

 

"Sucking chest wound?" He asked Kayla.

 

Her eyes widened and she reached into the wound, probing carefully near the ribs, head leaning down to listen for the sound of air entering the chest cavity.

 

"Gods," she said. "Yes, you're right."

 

Kayla began to work, jabbing a specialized tube into the wound, which allowed air to leave but not to enter, and Will began to sing.

 

He just barely glimpsed Jason and Piper backing away a few beds down clutching at each other. He couldn't pay attention to them right now though, healing took all of his focus.

 

The healing hymns rolled easily off of his tongue, low and guttural. As he sang, the wounds began to lessen and air could be heard escaping rapidly from the tube. When it stopped, he gave a nod and she pulled it out.

 

Laurel's face remained pale and lifeless, but as he continued, some color returned to her cheeks. His energy drained fast, but he kept going, watching as the gash began to stitch itself together from the inside out, mending the perforated organs and cleaning out any dirt or disease that might be there.

 

It had to have only been minutes, but to Will it felt much longer. It was a deep wound, one that given time would have killed her. After a few more verses, he found himself hunched over, arms bracing against the bed as he poured himself into the song, never ceasing. Protocol was that when 2 Apollo kids were present, one sang while the other worked. It eased some of the strain, and if the one singing had to stop, the other could take over.

 

He sucked in air as Blake and Austin came running into the infirmary, followed closely by Olive and the other camper he'd seen earlier. They stalled for a split second at the door, shocked, before Austin asked Kayla for a status update and Blake ran over and began to sing with Will. Her strength eased some of the drain.

 

"She'll live," said Kayla, as she wiped away the blood from Laurel's middle with a damp cloth. "Internal bleeding, perforated chest cavity and air trapped inside, massive blood loss."

 

Austin nodded, taking the soiled rags from her and tossing then into the bin. "We'll have to start an I.V." he said.

 

They inserted the needle and hung the bag of O negative blood, a rare sight indeed to see in the infirmary. The only used major medical technologies for emergencies, usually choosing instead to rely in the more effective gifts from their father.

 

When Will had to stop to catch his breath, arms shaking like they might give out, Austin placed a hand on his back. "Hey, you should go get some rest." Will began to shake his head but was stopped by the look in Austin's eyes. "You did great, Will. Let us finish up, all right?"

 

He swallowed and nodded, glancing back down at Laurel for a moment, before heading toward the exit. Jason stepped forward with an offer to walk him to his cabin, but Will waved him off.

 

He suddenly couldn't get out of there fast enough.

 

Cabin Seven was empty when he arrived. He stumbled toward the boys room, still breathing hard as if he'd sprinted there. _So much blood._ He dropped heavily down onto his bed, and caught sight of his hands, covered in thick red. He wanted to throw up, but was in too much shock to move.

 

_So much blood_.

 

He didn't know how long he sat there until Nico came rushing through the door, eyes wide with panic. Will looked up at him, confused.

 

"How did you find me?" he asked.

 

Nico gave him a sympathetic smile and knelt down in front of Will, taking his bloody hands in his. Will wanted to rip them away so it wouldn't get on him, but Nico held on tight.

 

"Jason came and got me," he said. "He told me what happened?"

 

"He... He did?"

 

"Yeah. He said you saved Laurel's life. You did good."

 

Will could do nothing but nod, staring hard at their hands. The blood was on his jeans and smeared up his forearms and now it seeped into the cracks and creases of Nico's fingers.

 

His breathing began to pick up again, making him light headed.

 

"Hey," Nico said. "It's okay. She's okay."

 

Will nodded, but couldn't make himself look away. "So much blood," he muttered between breaths. He couldn't cry, the tears built up but they just wouldn't come.

 

Nico nodded and stood. "Okay, come on. Let's get cleaned up."

 

He nodded back, moving to stand as well, but the second he was upright, his vision went gray and he almost passed out. He would've hit the floor if Nico weren't there to catch him.

 

"Woah, hey," Nico said, hefting him with his arms around his chest. He took one of Will's arms and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Come on, we're okay."

 

He led Will to the bathroom and sat him of the edge of the closest tub, where he helped him to peel of his shirt, flinging it to the floor behind him. "Can you get your pants?" he asked, reaching behind Will to turn on the water.

 

When Will nodded, Nico stood and said, "I'll go get you a towel." And he disappeared.

 

Will stood, slowly this time, slid the rest of his clothes off and stepped into the shower. It was warm, but he hardly noticed as he held his hands under the spray, watching numbly as the blood washed down the drain. It took a long time to run clear, and even when it did, he felt like it wasn't enough. He scrubbed his hands together fervently, scrambling around for whatever soap he could find. He stuck his head under the water and tried to breathe normally.

 

He began to feel dizzy again, so he lowered himself to the floor, arms shaking. He heard the door open and close and a dark shadow sat down outside the bathtub next to him.

 

Then Nico's bony hand slipped underneath the curtain, instantly getting hit by droplets of water. The hand didn't reach out for Will's or try to touch him at all, it simply rested on the floor, an offer of solidarity.

 

Will stared at it for a bit, burning with fear and grief and eventually he reached his hand towards it and touched the tips of the fingers with his own. The hand turned over invitingly. Will hesitated a moment, but then laid his hand down in the cradle of Nico's fingers, allowing the other boy to intertwine them together seamlessly.

 

And maybe it was all the water, or maybe it was just time, but as soon as he took Nico's hand, the tears finally came.

 

Broken sobs ripped from his throat as the hot spray thundered around him. The whole bathroom echoed back the sound. Nico squeezed his hand.

 

Will knew he was being ridiculous; he just didn't understand why this was affecting him so much. Laurel would be fine, he knew, but now that he was sitting still, he couldn't stop picturing all the other kids in the war who weren't so lucky. He'd been suppressing his feelings for so long, distracted by this and that and too busy trying to take care of everyone that he didn't allow himself the luxury of mourning for those lost. There was no time for that during a war. He remembered that even at the funerals, he hadn't cried. Some of them had been his patients. The ones he couldn't save.

 

If anything, he cried harder, angling his body towards Nico's hand. He wept for his brothers Michael and Lee and all of his younger siblings that never got the chance to know them. He wept for Octavian, maniacal as he had become. He wept for all of the others who had died under his care, gone but for his memory.

 

He wept from fear of the unknown, never sure who would try to die next and if he could save them. Would it be Austin? Braden? Nico?

 

The thought of anyone he loved dying tore him up inside, and though he tried not to think of it most of the time, it never strayed far from his mind. What if he wasn't good enough? What if he didn't make it in time. What if they never found their bodies, like they'd never found Michael's? What if...

 

His sobs turned to wailing, his breaths hitching with the force. Now that he was allowing himself to feel all these things, he found that he couldn't stop.

 

Nico pulled his hand from Will's, but half a second later, he was ripping open the shower curtain and pulling Will's head into his neck. Will clung to him. The top lip of the tub pressed into his chest but he didn't care, he forced himself to focus on nothing else but Nico's arms around his back, his lips pressing into his hair.

 

And here Will was, the oldest of his siblings at 15, and supposed to be their leader, having a meltdown on the bathroom floor over nothing more than a little blood on his hands. If they could see how he was acting right now, they wouldn't even know what to think.

 

And Nico? What would he think after this. Would he think Will weak, fragile to the point of breaking? But no, he thought. He'd seen Nico at his worst, and now Nico had seen him at his. If it were anybody else, he thought, he would worry, but even after such a short time together, he knew that this would only serve to make their bond stronger. It calmed him a bit.

 

He sat back, hiccuping and swallowing, and looked Nico in the eyes.

 

Nico smiled and his face lit up the world around them. "You okay?" he asked with a watery smile. He was crying too.

 

Slowly, Will managed a nod, before burying his face back into Nico's neck and breathing deeply against his skin.

 

He felt himself slump slightly, making Nico grip him tighter. "Okay," Nico said. "It's time to get out." He turned off the water and helped Will to stand.

 

Will couldn't find it in himself to be embarrassed by his nakedness, already having laid himself bare before the other boy. He helped Nico to wrap the towel around his waist and they walked back out of the bathroom and to Will's bed.

 

There, he found an old Ramones shirt, which he refused to throw away despite the holes and frays, and a pair of basketball shorts, which he dressed himself in while Nico kept his gaze firmly in the other direction.

 

"I, um," Will began, looking at his feet. "Can we go to your cabin? I don't don't want anyone to see me like this."

 

Tears still threatened to escape, though he tried to stop them. And if he was being honest with himself, if he didn't lay down and soon, he might just pass out where he stood. That was the thing about his healing powers, they drained him just as much as Nico's Underworld gifts did, as much as any other demigods' powers did.

 

Nico nodded, jumping up and taking his hand. Will slipped on his flip flops and followed him.

 

When they arrived in the dark coolness of the interior of Cabin Thirteen, he was swaying on his feet. Nico noticed this and helped him to sit on the bed.

 

"Nico?" Will began, turning to face him.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I just wanted you to know that...even with everything that's going on right now, with my father, and everything, I - I'm glad that you're with me. I don't think that I could handle it alone."

 

"You should rest," he said. Then he smiled. "And don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

 

"Promise?"

 

"I said what I meant."

 

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

_Chapter 5_

 

 

 

Nico stood before the swordsmanship class solemnly. The kids looked on with some trepidation, while Will watched, trying not to smile. It was one of the last classes they were going to be having for the summer and Nico had been bugging Will, wondering what the best way was to say that he was proud of the kids for what they'd accomplished.

 

"Will," Nico had whined, poking him in the side as they sat on the porch of the Hades cabin. "I don't know what to do. Help me." He made his face all pouty and pathetic, which only made Will laugh.

 

"What did your teachers say when they were proud of you?" he asked.

 

Nico shrugged. "They were ghosts, they don't usually show praise. Plus they were basically forced to teach me, and that didn't really help me in the likability department."

 

Will sighed. "Just say what feels right."

 

"Okay," he nodded. "But what does that mean?"

 

Currently, Nico was twisting his skull ring, and, quite honestly, was starting to scare the children. Will cleared his throat and nudged Nico with his elbow.

 

He took a breath. "I want to finish this class..." He glanced over at Will for support. Will smiled at him encouragingly. He turned back to the students. "I wanted to finish off today's class by telling you all how proud of you I am."

 

The kids stared up at him, eyes wide.

 

He continued. "At first when I was asked to teach, I was extremely nervous, because I had never some something like this before, and honestly, I didn't think that I'd be very good at it." He smiled. "But I'm glad that I did, because all of you, whether you're new to camp or have been here a while already, have improved so much over the last month, and you've taught me so much in return. And I'm very grateful that I got to be a part of that."

 

It was a short speech, and simple, but it said so much. Nico had spent so much time, years, thinking that he wasn't wanted at camp, and that he would never belong no matter how many battles he had helped then to win. But these kids had accepted him so easily, allowing him to make the transition from war time to peace with only a few minor hitches.

 

Nico opened his arms in a grand gesture sort of way. "I just wanted to say thank you for letting me teach you. I don't think that I could have asked for a better group of kids."

 

All at once, the kids rushed Nico, trapping him and Will both in a giant group hug. Will looked over the top of Braden's golden curls to Nico and saw him not so subtly wiping his eyes and laughing with joy as he was bombarded with affection. They caught eyes and Nico smiled wider than Will had ever seen before. He couldn't help but mimic the sentiment.

 

 

 

...

 

 

"Um, Will?"

 

"Yes, dear?"

 

"You know I never really leaned how to swim right?"

 

"Yep."

 

"Soooo, what exactly made you think it was a good idea to take me in a canoe, on a lake, without a son of Poseidon present to keep me from drowning?"

 

"Nico, please. I'll be the one doing the saving if need be."

 

Nico was holding onto the sides of the canoe for dear life and Will was trying to hold onto his laughter. "Honestly, the fact that you're not shadow traveling away just makes me think that you have a crush on me, and you don't want to look like a dweeb."

 

"Dude, we're dating."

 

"I know. One point for me."

 

"No it's _not_ dammit! Did you bring me out here just to torture me?"

 

"Well...not only."

 

"Ughhhh."

 

"Oh, come on. You're having fun, aren't you?"

 

"I should push you in."

 

"You do, I'm takin' you with me." He nodded toward Nico's hands. "Besides, you'll have to release your grip first, Death Boy."

 

"I told you to stop calling me that."

 

"Come over here and make me."

 

"Just bidding my time. You're doom will be swift but terrible."

 

"You're adorable when you're scared."

 

Nico growled at him, but Will caught the hint of a smile.

 

"I'm serious," Will said. He laid the oar on the floor of the canoe. "Come over here."

 

"Will, the boat will flip over!"

 

Will laughed. "No it won't. Come on."

 

Nico looked at him, fury written all over his face, but there was clearly humor hidden underneath. Slowly, he stood and carefully made his way over to sit next to Will, the canoe wobbling with his every step.

 

"I hate you," he mumbled, clutching at Will's shirt with both fists.

 

Ignoring the comment, Will gently touched his hand to Nico's face, urging him to look up. He stopped fretting and caught Will's gaze.

 

They stared at each other for a moment, and he saw Nico's eyes flick momentarily down toward his lips. Nico went to lean in, but then stopped.

 

"Did you put me in this boat so I'd be forced off my game?"

 

"What game?"

 

Nico hit him in the chest, but not very hard.

 

Will shrugged, smirking. "Guilty." He wrapped both arms around Nico, pulled him close.

 

"You know people can see us?" Nico gestured to the shore of the lake, where campers milled around, enjoying the last of summer.

 

"Yeah," he answered. "Kind of don't care." Will bent his head forward and brushed his lips against the other boy's. "Do you?"

 

A huff of laughter. They were so close, and Nico's eyes were closed as he breathed in through his parted mouth. "No," he whispered.

 

They met in the middle this time, easing each other into the comfort they so desired. The canoe stayed still, as if it knew the importance of the moment, fought so hard to win through hardship and despair. Nico lips fit so well against his own, soft yet eager. Will took in as much as he could.

 

If only this could last forever.

 

When at last they broke apart, both panting heavily, Nico looked hard into Will's eyes. "Thank you," he said, thumb stroking his cheek.

 

"For what?" Will asked with a sappy smile, leaning to peck him on the cheek, glad that he was allowed to do so.

 

"This, you nerd. It's nice."

 

"Just nice?"

 

"Holy Hephaestus, would you shut up!" Nico said, but he couldn't stop smiling.

 

Giddiness rose in Will's chest again. He reached for him, kissed his lips once more. Nico giggled, taking Will's face in both hands and pushing him a few inches away.

 

They grinned at each other. "You're different now," Will said, brushing dark hair back, running his fingers through Nico's scalp. "Happier."

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Wanna know why?" He ran his fingers to the back of Will's neck.

 

Will tilted his head a little. "Why?"

 

"Because of you. You're the reason." He pulled Will forward.

 

They ignored everything for a little while.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

Everything hurt. He was on the ground, hands and knees, screaming from the pain. But he didn't recognize his own voice. Will knew that it wasn't his, but his body was on fire and he couldn't find it in himself to care.

 

His skin was burning, but it came from the inside. Hands captured by manacles still glowing from whatever fire they were forged from.

 

Someone was whispering in his ear, but he couldn't hear them, couldn't hear what they're saying over the sight of his skin cracking, too bright inside for him to look at but he couldn't seem to look away.

 

He screamed again, but this time it was a word. He barely noticed.

 

He collapsed.

 

 

...

 

 

Will woke with a start, lifting his head from Nico's shoulder. Nico was looking at him, half a smile fading from his face.

 

Percy and Annabeth were there as well, with multiple people fading away in the background. They were at the bonfire. Will must have fallen asleep halfway through it because he only remembered up until they started singing, and then he was yawning, and Connor was laughing, and then...

 

"Will?" Annabeth asked.

 

He remembered that he'd gone to sit with Nico and his friends instead of sitting with his siblings, he was complaining about how tired he was of overnight shifts. And the dream... Or was it a premonition?

 

He was having trouble focusing. It wasn't him. In the dream, it wasn't him.

 

"Hey," Nico said, turning to face him fully and gripping his arm. "Hey, are you okay?"

 

Annabeth and Percy were looking worried.

 

"Yeah, I...um." Will looked at Nico for help.

 

Nico nodded subtly. "Yeah, okay." He turned to Annabeth. "He's okay. I'll get him back to the cabin."

 

"Will, what-" Percy began, but Nico shook his head. "Okay. We'll see you later." He pulled a reluctant Annabeth toward the retreating crowd.

 

Nico turned back to him. "Will, what's wrong? Are you all right?"

 

Will swallowed and took a breath. He nodded in answer. "Yes, I'm..."

 

Nico gave a worried glance around him, and then helped Will to his feet. "Come on. Let's go somewhere else."

 

It was dark, or getting dark. He held Nico's hand and let him guide the way, too distracted by what had happened to notice where to. It was way too real to just be a dream, and it most certainly wasn't him that he was dreaming about.

 

He came back to himself when Nico opened the door to Cabin 13 and led him inside. The sat on the bed and faced each other. "Okay, spill," Nico said. "What was the dream?"

 

"How did you know it was a dream?"

 

"Because I know what dreams look like. And that wasn't a normal one."

 

Will swallowed. "No."

 

"A vision?"

 

"Maybe. I couldn't tell what was happening." Will shook his head. "It was just a flash?"

 

"Have you had a vision like that before?"

 

"Yeah. But more than that though. I've had premonitions before."

 

Nico looked very confused all of a sudden. "You saw the future? That doesn't usually happen." His voice turned grim.

 

"Child of Apollo, remember?" Will said. "It's never anything concrete. Just flashes. That's why I've never told anyone before." He sighed. "I can't make any sense out of anything, so why worry people."

 

"Okay. That makes sense." Nico ran his thumb across Will's knuckles distractedly. "So what happened this time?"

 

Will explained what had happened. Nico's eyes became wider and wider.

 

"But what did you shout?"

 

"I don't know!" Will said, getting more and more frustrated. "I couldn't... I couldn't tell. The pain was just..."

 

"And then it was over."

 

"Yeah. But-" It was a feeling in his gut that drove him to finish the sentence. "I think it has something to do with my father."

 

"Seriously?"

 

"I mean, I didn't recognize the voice, but my promotions are always about someone that I've met. It's never anything else. And he's a god, so of course he can change forms, change voices."

 

"But who would be powerful enough to torture Apollo? Another god?"

 

"Probably. Or something worse." Will sucked in a shaky breath, the first of many.

 

"Okay, hey, it's all right," Nico said, pulling him into a hug. "It's okay. We'll figure it out."

 

Will nodded into Nico's shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until at last, Will came to a conclusion.

 

"I think I should stay at camp this year."

 

Nico jerked his head back and looked him in the eye. "What?"

 

"I think it's important. What if something happens and I'm not here?" Will shrugged. "I'm the Head Counselor, and it has to do with my father. It would be irresponsible of me to leave at a time like this."

 

"But - What about school?"

 

"I'll go to school in New York. With you."

 

Nico gaped at him. "Will, I -" he steadied himself. "What about your family."

 

Will shrugged. "They'll understand. And it's - it's not just Apollo. I want to...stay with you. I've been thinking about it."

 

"You have?"

 

Will shrugged again. "Yeah. Like, not seeing you for four months, and dealing with my step-dad and everyone at school... I don't think I could do it again. I'm," he paused, his chest doing a little jump with adrenaline. "I'm not happy there. I never really have been. But here, with my bothers and sisters, and people who understand me, and now you..."

 

Nico tried and failed to keep the dopey look off of his face. "Well, I can't say that I was looking forward to watching you leave either. You sure about this?"

 

"I am."

 

He nodded. "Okay."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible epilogue to come, just haven't written it yet. I really hope you've enjoyed the story, because I really enjoyed writing it!


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